Who Invited God to the Inauguration?

This Inauguration Day couldn’t seem more different from the first presidential inauguration, held nearly 228 years ago. America is now deeply divided, while George Washington was chosen by the Electoral College unanimously. Washington’s first inauguration was held in April, in New York. Today his successors take the oath of office in front of the U.S. Capitol.

But in truth, every presidential inauguration is a re-creation of Washington’s. The first president’s words and deeds that day helped set the stage for a civic ritual celebrating the democratic idea within a religious context. This arguably cannot be found in another polity today.

There were aspects of the 1789 ceremony that might seem appropriate for a coronation rather than an elected leader’s inauguration. Arriving at Manhattan’s Federal Hall in a magnificent carriage pulled by six white horses, Washington strode into the Senate chamber wearing white silk stockings and a ceremonial sword. He was then escorted to a balcony overlooking an ecstatic crowd. Many present “were heard to say that they should now die contented” having seen the savior of the nation, according to one newspaper report. New York Chancellor Robert Livingston, who administered the oath of office, exclaimed: “Long live George Washington, president of the United States!”

Perhaps most noteworthy was the religious nature of the occasion. Though the Constitution makes no mention of the divine, much of the trappings and oratory at Washington’s inaugural were profoundly religious. Washington may not have added the phrase “so help me God” to the constitutionally mandated oath, but he likely kissed with reverence the Bible on which he had sworn it.

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