Presidential Inaugurations: Traditions, Crisis, and Unity | 1

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As America prepares to swear in a new president, we’ll look back to the inaugurations of the past. Jim Bendat, author of Democracy's Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President, 1789-2013, joins us as we cover the friction between the outgoing and incoming president, the Capitol Hill breach on January 6th, and how inaugurations have served as a powerful reminder of the strength of American democracy, even in times of crisis.

For more on Jim Bendat: https://www.inaugurationbook.com/.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.6	Imagine its March 4th, 1801, a dark cold early morning in Washington, DC.
0:24.4	At noon today, Thomas Jefferson will take the oath of office and become the third president
0:29.2	of the United States.
0:31.8	But right now it's just past 4 in the morning.
0:34.9	You're a stage coach driver packing the last of the luggage into your carriage.
0:38.9	And John Adams, still president for 8 more hours, is your passenger.
0:43.7	His servant, Mr. Breasler, hovers around you.
0:46.6	Make sure those straps are secured.
0:48.1	You can't have the president's belonging scattered all over the road.
0:51.6	Ah, the buckles will hold fast, they always have.
0:54.5	Don't you worry.
0:56.4	Mr. Breasler booked your coach in advance for this early morning trip to Baltimore.
1:00.7	The 10-hour trek on muddy dirt roads, and by the time he arrives, Adams will be president
1:06.2	no longer.
1:07.4	From there he'll travel onward to his home in Massachusetts.
1:10.8	God knows how long that journey will take.
1:13.5	Just down the street you can see the man himself, 65 years old, stooped and portally,
1:18.9	stamping his feet in the cold.
1:20.7	Sir, President Adams could perhaps warm himself in the carriage or almost ready to depart.
1:26.0	There's no getting him to do anything he doesn't want to.
	...

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