[Music] I'm Edward J Larson I'm currently serving as one of the inaugural Library fellows at the spectacular Fred W Smith National Library for the study of George Washington at Mount Vernon you ask me what's notable about the first inauguration of George Washington as president of the United States many things this is a great day I'm here at Mount Vernon it's a rainy day here it's April 30th 2014 the 200 and 25th anniversary of Washington's inauguration as the first president of the the United States it was a unique event because well first America had never had a national president before a person elected from electors from all the states the first truly national election and this was the consummation of that the conclusion of that but it was a unique event in many ways for the world because there had never been a popularly elected chief executive for a continental Republic it was a new event something new people didn't know what to expect it was a world of kings and here there was a presidential inauguration rather than a coronation well Washington had processed from his home in Mount Vernon where we are now up to New York which was then the seat of government for the new incoming government Congress had already assembled the Vice President John Adams had already been sworn in Washington had a triumphant procession up stopping in Baltimore and Wilmington and pH Philadelphia and Trenton every place crowds grew people began to realize that this event itself having a national president rather than state senators or or congress members of Congress from different districts having a national president was itself the most unifying part of the new government under the Constitution and so by the time he reached New York the Civic leaders there and the leaders in Congress realized they needed to make this a big event now the original plan had called for a uh quiet swearing in ceremony the Constitution provides the a short oath that needs to be taken by the incoming president they had planned that for inside the house Chambers in the new Federal Hall but they realized as this thing grew and thousands of people were lining the streets 20,000 alone in Philadelphia as he proed through and when he arrived in New York City a week before the inauguration there were just crowds everywhere cheering welcoming him this was such an important unifying event that they needed a big event to Market so they switched the occasion to he would take the oath of office on an outside balcony overlooking the largest open um intersection in the uh in New York City which was the balcony of Federal Hall that he would give it outside the place was packed he had left the executive residents huge crowds all the way down as he processed down in through the city and then up to Federal Hall he went in and when he went out there was there were people everywhere the balconies were full the rooftops were full every place everybody could stand to catch a possible glimpse of the new president he took his oath of office for the oath of office he wore back then America had very few fine Woolen Mills and most people got their clothes from uh from England or France they're fine clothes wealthy people did Washington made a point of getting cloth from a mill in Connecticut the finest mill then existing in the United States so he could wear Connecticut broad cloth for his suit when he when he took office so he stood there took the oath of office and then went in and um gave the inaugural address a short event he he was not a speaker um this he gave a brief but but but powerful address and then um went over went with Congress to the nearby episcopal church for prayers then back home and then out that night for an enormous fireworks display went on for longer than an hour and lit up the skies um over New York City it was a tremendous day me