March 4, 1861: President James Buchanan and President-elect Abraham Lincoln left the Willard Hotel in a horse-drawn carriage bound for the Capitol and Lincoln’s first inauguration. There, before hundreds of citizens, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administered the presidential oath of office, swearing in Abraham Lincoln as the sixteenth president of the United States.
Archive for the Presidents Category
This Date in History
Posted in Inaugurations, March, Presidents on March 4, 2009 by KentObama’s Choose Portuguese Water Dog
Posted in People, Pets, Presidents on February 27, 2009 by Kent
The Obama family has finally made a decision on what kind of dog to get as the next first dog. As reported by WUSA9 yesterday, they are seeking a Portuguese Water Dog, hopefully from a shelter.
A complication in choosing a dog has been that they’ve been needing a dog that is hypoallergenic because of Malia’s allergies. Portuguese Water Dogs are considered a good choice for those who suffer from allergies becauses they produce less dander than other breeds.
Now the fun begins. Michelle Obama has already publicly nixed a few proposed names for the next member of the family, so it will be interesting to see what name is ultimately chosen.
This Date in History
Posted in February, Presidents on February 24, 2009 by KentFebruary 24, 1868: Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States, became the first president to have impeachment proceedings brought against him by the House of Representatives.
This Date in History
Posted in February, Presidents on February 22, 2009 by KentFebruary 22, 1924: Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential radio broadcast from the White House.
New Look for Lincoln Penny
Posted in Presidents on February 13, 2009 by KentYesterday, appropriately, saw the introduction of four new designs for the reverse side of the penny in honor of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. The designs are shown below. To find out more, go to the U.S. Mint Press Release.
Was Lincoln a Racist?
Posted in Presidents on February 12, 2009 by KentComing from Illinois, when I was in grade school we got Lincoln’s birthday off while the rest of the country celebrated Washington’s birthday. Clearly this has changed as we now have President’s Day — how’s that for compromise? As many people, I still really like Lincoln, even if he isn’t the person they taught us about in school.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., recently wrote the article Was Lincoln a Racist?, which delves into the complexity that was Lincoln. Full of contradictions, Gates addresses the many inconsistencies that made him who he was. In humanizing the great Emancipator, it is all the more impressive that Lincoln was able to accomplish what he did with so much working against him.
President Obama’s First News Conference
Posted in Presidents on February 9, 2009 by Kent
Well, here I sit listening to President Obama’s first news conference, and I’m conflicted. He’s smart, he’s eloquent, but he also tends to be a bit long winded.
Don’t get me wrong, I like him. Its also refreshing to see a President clearly comfortable enough with the media that he’s going to say what he wants for as long as it takes to say it. Still, I think that he’s going to need to learn to be a bit more succinct.
Although, to me, the gem of the evening was when he said he didn’t come into office “all ginned up to spend” billions of dollars. It was also nice to see him be able to smile and have a lighter moment when he was asked what Vice President Biden was talking about.
