Skip Navigation

Scout Archives

Home Projects Publications Archives About Sign Up or Log In

"I Do Solemnly Swear…": Inaugural Materials from the Collections of the Library of Congress

At the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy, that austere man of letters, Robert Frost, had intended to read a poem entitled "Dedication", but was unable to do so because of the glare of the sun, which effectively prevented him from seeing (and reading) the text. Instead Frost read "The Gift Outright" from memory, and yet another legendary moment in presidential inauguration lore occurred. To pay homage to the many compelling stories and documents of past presidential inaugurations, the Library of Congress has created this online exhibit (along with a physical exhibit) that presents materials from 18 of these events. Some of the documents featured here include a banner from the 1868 campaign of Ulysses S. Grant and the famed one-sentence declaration by then President Calvin Coolidge which read simply: "I do not choose to run for President in the nineteen twenty-eight."
Scout Publication
Language
Date of Scout Publication
November 30th, 1999
Date Of Record Creation
February 10th, 2005 at 12:20pm
Date Of Record Release
February 28th, 2005 at 3:52pm
Resource URL Clicks
6

Internal

Cumulative Rating
0
Add Comment

Comments

(no comments available yet)