.
"Celebrating
America's Spirit
Together"
On Saturday, January
20,
2001 at 12:02 p.m. at the West Front of the Capitol, George W. Bush
placed
his hand on the Bible, swore the oath of office and officially became
the
43rd president of the United States.
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In
addition to the swearing
in of the new president and the delivery of his inaugural address, a
host
of activities are organized to celebrate the arrival of a new
administration.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) plans many of these events
and
is aided by the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC), a joint task
force
of the five Armed Forces branches. The Joint Congressional
Committee
on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) is responsible for all events held at
the
Capitol. |
Jeanne Johnson
Phillips, a businesswoman from Dallas, Texas, served as executive
director
of the 2001 Presidential Inaugural Committee. She helped
organized
both of Governor Bush's inaugurations, and most recently served as a
senior
adviser on finance for the Bush campaign and as deputy chair of
operations
for Victory 2000 at the Republican National Committee. Also shown
above are the four co-chairs, Mercer and Gabrielle Reynolds of
Cincinnati,
Ohio and Bill and Kathy DeWitt, also of Cincinnati. |
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Organization
of the PIC was delayed due to the battle over Florida. However,
AFIC
continued with its planning and preparation during this time, providing
a solid foundation for PIC when it finally formed in the second half of
December. Under the theme "Celebrating America's Spirit
Together,"
PIC organized activities ranging from a star-studded opening
celebration
at Lincoln Memorial to a prayer service at Washington National
Cathedral.
Given the compressed timeframe for planning, the festivities were
somewhat
trimmed down; for example there was no open festival on the Mall.
Nonetheless all the major elements were present including the parade
down
Pennsylvania Avenue and the inaugural balls. |
On January
2, 2001 the PIC
announced the inaugural theme: "Celebrating America's Spirit Together"
as well as the schedule of events. |
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Celebrating America's
Spirit Together
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Thursday,
January 18, 2001
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The
Presidential Inaugural Opening Celebration
Lincoln
Memorial
3:30 pm -
Ceremony begins.
Open to the
public.
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Candlelight
Dinners
Washington
Hilton Hotel
National
Building Museum
Union Station
8:00 p.m. -
Dinners begin.
Not a public
event.
Cost: $2,500
per ticket
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Friday,
January 19, 2001
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Laura
Bush Celebrates America's Authors
Constitution
Hall
10:00 am -
Event begins.
Ticket
required, limited
seating.
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The
Vice President-Elect
Salutes America's Veterans
George
Washington University
Smith Center
2:00 pm -
Event begins.
Ticket
required, limited
seating.
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Concert
Celebrating America's Youth
MCI Center
4:00 pm -
Event begins.
Tickets
required, limited
seating.
Cost: $5
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Wyoming
State Society
Event
Chamber of
Commerce Building
Ticketed
through Wyoming
State Society.
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Texas
Black Tie & Boots Ball
Marriott
Wardman Park Hotel
Ticketed
through Texas State
Society.
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Saturday,
January 20, 2001
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St.
John's Church
Service
9:30 a.m. -
Prayer service
begins.
Private prayer
service for
the families and close friends of President-elect Bush and Vice
President-elect
Cheney.
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White
House Coffee
Reception
10:25 a.m.
President-elect
Bush and
Mrs. Bush, the Vice President-elect and Mrs. Cheney have coffee with
President
and Senator Clinton and Vice President and Mrs. Gore.
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Inaugural
Ceremony - Swearing-In
United States
Capitol
11:30 a.m. -
Ceremony begins.
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Inaugural
Luncheon
Statuary Hall,
U.S. Capitol
1:00 p.m.
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Inaugural
Parade
Pennsylvania
Avenue
2:00 pm -
Parade begins.
No ticket
required for public
standing areas.
Ticket
required for bleacher
seating - $100, $50, $15.
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Inaugural
Balls
(Eight
Locations)
7:00 pm -
Events begin.
Cost: $125 per
ticket
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Sunday,
January 21, 2001
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Washington
National Cathedral Prayer Service
8:30 a.m. -
Prayer service
begins.
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Sunday
White House
Tours
3:00 p.m. -
6:00 p.m.
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Note:
In addition to the above events, President-elect Bush and Mrs. Bush
attended
an Inaugural Underwriter Reception at the Library of Congress from
about
6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m on Friday, January 19, 2001.
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PIC operated in
Washington,
DC out of a 65,000 square foot government-owned space prepared by the
General
Services Administration. It raised the bulk of the money needed
for
inaugural activities through donations, sales of tickets to various
events,
and commemoratives as well as through in-kind contributions. PIC
accepted contributions of up to $100,000 and raised a total of about
$40
million. Congress also appropriated monies for the
inauguration.
JCCIC received $1,000,000 for activities at the Capitol, over half of
which
went to constructing the platform and $5,961,000 was provided to
reimburse
the District of Columbia for expenses related to inauguration
activities
[H.J.Res.
125]. City costs included security, building the parade
review
and media stands (the public bleachers along Pennsylvania Avenue were a
PIC expense), and a whole range of preparatory work done by the
Department
of Public Works. The final cost to the federal government will
likely
be more than the $5.9 million; for example, in early Feb. 2001, DC
Police
Chief Charles Ramsey said that while $2.3 million was provided to cover
security, his department spent about $3 million on overtime and other
jurisdictions
added an additional $900,000.
2001 Presidential
Inaugural
Committee
Armed Forces Inaugural
Committee
Joint Congressional
Committee
on Inaugural Ceremonies
S.
CON. RES. 89--Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Photos--Preparing the
Viewing
Stands for the Inaugural Parade
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Jan. 15,
2001--As finishing
touches are applied, a network television crew looks over the site in
preparation
for Saturday. |
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Jan.
2001--Blue carpet treatment. |
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Jan. 10,
2001--Only ten
days to go. |
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Dec.
2000--Construction
continues. |
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Nov. 28,
2000--Workmen begin
preparing the viewing stands for the Inaugural Parade on Pennsylvania
Avenue
in front of the White House. |
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"j20-dc" Protests
The controversy over
the
outcome in Florida served as a catalyst for a number of protests. Some
of the same activists who demonstrated at the World Trade Organization
meetings in Seattle, and continued to speak out at the World Bank/IMF
meetings
in Washington, DC, the national nominating conventions in Philadelphia
and Los Angeles, and the presidential debates, were involved. The
"Justice Action Movement (J.A.M)," which described itself as "a unified
multi-issue coalition advocating a political system that gives each
person
full representation and justice," planned nonviolent protests and an
"InaugurAUCTION!
ball. Jesse Jackson called for "A Week of Moral Outrage" January
15-20 and for "Voter Integrity Rallies and Prayer Vigils" to be held at
local federal buildings on Inauguration Day. According to a
National
Organization of Women press release, "Feminists will be out in force on
inauguration day to demonstrate that while our votes weren't all
counted,
our voices will be heard." An "Inaugural Day Voter March" was
planned
"to protest election irregularities and the disenfranchisement of
voters."
Supporters of death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal gathered as well.
Protesters bearing signs were mixed in along the parade route.
They
greeted the Texas float with boos as it passed Freedom Plaza.
Independent Media Center-DC
Copyright 1998,
1999, 2000,
2001 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.
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