2021 Inauguration

On January 20, 2021, president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris were sworn in to officially be the President and Vice President of the United States of America. This inauguration exemplified the peaceful transfer of power which is a trademark of American democracy, from the Republican President Donald Trump (who did not attend the inauguration) to the new Democratic administration. This inauguration has a long history behind it. The reason that the inauguration is held in January is because in the past, when votes were counted by hand, the time gap from November to January allotted enough time for the votes to be tallied. Furthermore, it allows enough time for any disputes, such as there were in this election, to be resolved. The inauguration itself is just a formal ceremony where both the vice president-elect and the president-elect take Oaths of Office at around noon followed by an inaugural address at the Capitol in Washington D.C. Generally there is also an inaugural parade as well as performers; however this year, the parade was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. Instead, a “virtual parade” occurred showcasing communities across the country. Furthermore, the inauguration traditionally offers free tickets to the public that are in very high demand. This year, however, tickets were even more limited than usually and it became virtually impossible to get them. In addition to all of these safety precautions, a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was held in order to honor the American lives lost to COVID-19 on January 19 at 5:30. Through all of these means, the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris was made unique, yet it still displayed the historic peaceful transitions between administrations.