Table of Contents
What version of the Bible did George Washington use?
the King James Bible
George Washington, like most gentlemen of his time and social standing, was acquainted with it, specifically the King James Bible, and he liberally seasoned his discourse with biblical phrases and allusions.
Who held the Bible for George Washington inauguration?
Robert Livingston, Chancellor of New York, administered the oath. Samuel Otis, Secretary of the Senate, held the ceremonial Bible, which was a Masonic Bible acquired at the last minute from St. John’s Lodge. Washington took the oath with his hand on the Bible, and kissed the Bible after taking the oath.
Did George Washington kiss the Bible?
There is, however, contemporary evidence that George Washington engaged in a symbolic equivalent when he kissed the Bible after taking his oath, and that this practice was contemporaneously also reported for the inaugurations of Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S.
Who swore in President Washington?
The inauguration was held nearly two months after the beginning of the first four-year term of George Washington as President. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the presidential oath of office.
Who swore in John Adams?
The presidential oath of office was administered to John Adams by Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth.
Did Washington really say so help me God?
In 2009, Peter Henriques made a startling announcement in an oft-cited piece for History News Network: There is “absolutely no extant contemporary evidence,” he wrote, to support the traditional story that George Washington added the phrase “so help me God” to the presidential oath of office at his first inauguration.
Which President gave the shortest inaugural address?
George Washington’s second inaugural address remains the shortest ever delivered, at just 135 words.
Who swore in George W Bush?
Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the presidential oath of office at 12:01 p.m., after he administered the vice-presidential oath of office as well. An estimated 300,000 people attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Why does a president not have to swear in on a Bible?
Why doesn’t he place his hand on the U.S. Constitution – the very document he’s promising to “preserve, protect and defend”? The Constitution does not require that the president take the oath of office by swearing on a Bible. That would have been a very simple requirement for the constitutional drafters to include.
Who was the only president not to use a Bible?
According to official records kept by the Architect of the Capitol, Teddy Roosevelt is the only president who wasn’t sworn in using a Bible; he took a rushed oath of office in 1901 following the assassination of William McKinley. However, it’s rumored that LBJ was sworn in using a Catholic missal aboard Air Force One after Kennedy’s assassination.
Who was the first president to use the Lincoln Bible?
Barack Obama will be sworn in as president Tuesday with the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used for his first inauguration. As his transition team noted in its press release, “ President-elect Obama will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861 .”
What does the Bible say about not swearing an oath?
James wrote “do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation” (James 5:12).