Dates. The first inauguration, that of George Washington, took place on April 30, 1789. ... Inauguration Day moved to January 20, beginning in 1937, following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, where it has remained since.
Why is the 20th amendment called the lame duck amendment?
Senator Norris Targets the Lame Duck Sessions
The Twentieth Amendment is called the Lame Duck Amendment because it was designed to reduce the chances of legislators meeting and casting votes after failing to win reelection .
What time does the inauguration start on January 20th?
The 20th amendment to the Constitution specifies that the term of each elected President of the United States begins at noon on January 20 of the year following the election. Each president must take the oath of office before assuming the duties of the position.
What does the 20th amendment cover?
Commonly known as the “Lame Duck Amendment,” the Twentieth Amendment was designed to remove the excessively long period of time a defeated president or member of Congress would continue to serve after his or her failed bid for reelection .
Is Inauguration Day always January 20th?
The American Presidency Project. Congress had originally established March 4 as Inauguration Day. The date was moved to January 20 with the passage of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933.
Why is the 20th Amendment so important?
The Twentieth Amendment was adopted on January 23, 1933. The amendment reduced the presidential transition and the “lame duck” period, by which members of Congress and the president serve the remainder of their terms after an election.
Who wanted the 20th Amendment?
Reformers eventually sought an amendment to push back the start date to early January in order to shorten the “lame duck” session in election years (November to the following March). In 1923, Senator George Norris of Nebraska authored the initial resolution that provided the basis for the 20th Amendment.
What's the nickname for the 20th Amendment and why?
Nicknamed the Lame Duck Amendment, it moved the inauguration date from March 4th to January 20th. The amendment also changed the opening date of a new Congress to January 3rd, thereby eliminating extended lame duck congressional sessions.
What happens on Inauguration Day?
The inauguration of the president of the United States is a ceremony to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. During this ceremony, some 72 to 78 days after the presidential election, the president takes the presidential oath of office.
Which president did not use the Bible to take the oath of office?
Theodore Roosevelt did not use the Bible when taking the oath in 1901, nor did John Quincy Adams, who swore on a book of law, with the intention that he was swearing on the constitution.
What is Section 4 of the 20th Amendment?
The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the ...
What is an example of the 20th Amendment?
For example, the 20th Amendment reduced the lame duck period for the president and vice president by about 6 weeks, and removed it entirely from Congress . ... As a result, the president proclaimed that a special 100-day session of Congress was to convene from March 9 to June 16, 1933.
What does Section 3 of the 20th Amendment?
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President .
What does the 26 Amendment say?
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
What does the 20th Amendment to the Constitution say?
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January , and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
