DOCSLIB.ORG

James K. Polk Getting It Done EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

James K. Polk Getting it done EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Listen to Presidential at http://wapo.st/presidential This transcript was run through an automated transcription service and then lightly edited for clarity. There may be typos or small discrepancies from the podcast audio. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: At the very beginning of this ‘Presidential’ podcast, I started by asking Bob Woodward, the legendary Washington Post reporter, how it is that I should go about assessing each American president. And one thing he said was: BOB WOODWARD: It is a matter of ascertaining what the will of the president is. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: That is -- figuring out what exactly it is he hopes and promises the American public that he'll accomplish during his time in the White House. BOB WOODWARD: To what extent do they succeed or fail at working their will. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: Well, if we're looking at what these leaders said they wanted to do and then comparing that against whether they actually did it -- by this assessment, we're about to learn that James K. Polk may be the most successful president we have ever had. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: I'm Lillian Cunningham with The Washington Post, and this is the 11th episode of 'Presidential.' PRESIDENTIAL THEME MUSIC LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: For this episode, we're going to take a deep dive into the story of James K. Polk with Amy Greenberg, an expert on Polk and a professor at Penn State University. Polk was president for one term, from 1845 to 1849. He was born in North Carolina 50 years before that, in 1795. So, I asked Amy to start here, at the beginning of his life. AMY GREENBERG: His family moved from North Carolina to Tennessee when he was fairly young, and they were part of a big migration of slaveowners from North Carolina to Tennessee, who were basically moving onto land that Indians had been kicked out of. And they were bringing slaves onto Indian land in order to grow crops. Presidential podcast wapo.st/presidential 1 And Polk -- I think the defining feature of his childhood was that he was really sickly. He could not compete with other kids his age in the kind of backwoods physical contests that were really important at that time. He couldn't run fast. He wasn't strong. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: What kinds of illnesses are these? AMY GREENBERG: He developed bladder stones, which caused excruciating pain. So, his father actually took him when he was a teenager, I think 15, to North Carolina to have experimental surgery to remove these bladder stones. And the surgery was a success -- in that, as soon as he healed up, he was a completely new person. He was able to go to school. He had all this energy that he had never had before. And it was really sort of the start of his life. But the sad thing about the surgery is that it left him unable to father a child. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: So I'm curious in what way you think that being sick as a child shaped who he was -- the type of interests he had or ambitions or character he developed. AMY GREENBERG: I think it made him an unusually serious young man. And it also caused him to become very, very intense and to sort of develop a strength of will that I don't think a lot of other people had at the time. He realized in a very profound way what his limitations were and just determined to succeed despite these limitations. So, I think that you can see this kind of settling or intensity of will, as a result of the illnesses, playing out later in life when he faced problems or difficulties. He just would power through them, just through pure force of will. He was also an incredibly hard worker, and I have to think that that emerged out of this sort of painful childhood. And the last thing that I would say about this: I feel pretty confident that his inability to compete as a child physically left him with a complex where he wanted to prove to everybody that he was just as much of a man as anybody else was. And I think it caused him to become maybe unnaturally focused on war and martial expressions of manhood. You can see, even though he's never really served in the military -- even before he's president, he's such a gung-ho expansionist and so intent on proving to other countries that America really is in the right. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: Alright, time for my classic question. Let's say I'm about to go out on a date with James K. Polk and I know nothing about him, know nothing of his personality. What am I in for? AMY GREENBERG: OK, first of all I would recommend that you not go on this date -- because I don't think it's going to be any fun. First of all: James -- he doesn't drink. I don't know if you drink or not. He's not going to drink. He has no sense of humor. So, you cannot expect any kind of fun, uplifting conversation to detract from the fact that you can't drink anything on your date. I don't imagine that the two of you are going to do anything that he would consider frivolous, so don't expect to go to the theater. Don't imagine that the two of you are going to go listen to music. These are not really his kind of things. It is possible, if you enjoy riding, that that you and he might go out on a ride. You're definitely not, you know, you're not going to go hiking or berry picking. I hope you like politics because that's what he's going to talk about all night. Presidential podcast wapo.st/presidential 2 LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: Where did that interest in politics come from? AMY GREENBERG: You know, his father was not particularly political. So, basically after he had his surgery, he went to what we would call sort of a private boarding-school high school. And he immediately proved himself to be an excellent debater – and really, actually, a crack student all around. He was definitely the best student in his class. And then he went from that boarding school to the University of North Carolina, where again, he was just an outstanding student and a great debater. Then he became a lawyer and, you know, I think a lot of lawyers in his sort of position got involved in politics. And while he was acting as clerk for the Tennessee House of Representatives, he met a young woman named Sarah Childress and rumor has it that she's the one who encouraged him to run for the legislature in Tennessee. And he did, and he won. And then she's the one who pushed him to become a congressman -- and he ran for Congress and he won. So, it's not totally obvious to me that his real interest in politics was firmly in place before he met the woman who became his wife. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: I had read that she said she wouldn't marry him unless he won a seat in the Tennessee state legislature. AMY GREENBERG: You know, knowing her as well as I feel like I do, I think she probably did make it clear that she did not see her future as being married to just some local lawyer -- that she had a higher idea of what they were destined for. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: Could you talk a little bit about his relationship with Andrew Jackson --how he comes to know Jackson and then the role that Jackson plays in also helping his political rise? AMY GREENBERG: So, Andrew Jackson is not just an important military figure of this time period, and he's not just the father of the antebellum Democratic Party. He's this incredibly important mentor and formative mentor for a whole generation of politicians who are coming of age in what was then the southwest. And Polk was lucky enough to get to know him at an early point. And rumor has it -- it was Jackson who encouraged Polk to court and marry Sarah Childress. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: What skills or leadership traits of Polk's get him to the presidency? AMY GREENBERG: One thing that I'm really impressed by is his ability to overcome his personal limitations. In the 1820s, if you wanted to get elected as a Democrat, you had to be a man of the people. You had to convince voters that you were one of them. And usually the way that you did that was sort of like Davy Crockett – by being really funny. Being fun and funny. Achieving military prominence. But, above all else, just kind of being somebody that people like. People are voting for men who they feel like share their values and who are like them. They're not necessarily voting for someone who they think is better than them -- who will do a good job in office because they're smarter than the electorate -- but somebody who really seems like they they feel their pain or they understand where they're coming from. And Polk is really just not like that. He's not fun. He's not funny. But he manages to convince people that he is, and he makes this Presidential podcast wapo.st/presidential 3 concerted effort to learn to speak in a folksy manner and interact with the public -- to shake hands for hours with people, even though he's not what you would call a 'people person.' He doesn't necessarily like people.
Recommended publications
  • Martin Van Buren: the Greatest American President

    Martin Van Buren: the Greatest American President

    SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 Martin Van Buren The Greatest American President —————— ✦ —————— JEFFREY ROGERS HUMMEL resident Martin Van Buren does not usually receive high marks from histori- ans. Born of humble Dutch ancestry in December 1782 in the small, upstate PNew York village of Kinderhook, Van Buren gained admittance to the bar in 1803 without benefit of higher education. Building on a successful country legal practice, he became one of the Empire State’s most influential and prominent politi- cians while the state was surging ahead as the country’s wealthiest and most populous.
  • James Knox Polk Collection, 1815-1949

    James Knox Polk Collection, 1815-1949

    State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312 POLK, JAMES KNOX (1795-1849) COLLECTION 1815-1949 Processed by: Harriet Chapell Owsley Archival Technical Services Accession Numbers: 12, 146, 527, 664, 966, 1112, 1113, 1140 Date Completed: April 21, 1964 Location: I-B-1, 6, 7 Microfilm Accession Number: 754 MICROFILMED INTRODUCTION This collection of James Knox Polk (1795-1849) papers, member of Tennessee Senate, 1821-1823; member of Tennessee House of Representatives, 1823-1825; member of Congress, 1825-1839; Governor of Tennessee, 1839-1841; President of United States, 1844-1849, were obtained for the Manuscripts Section by Mr. and Mrs. John Trotwood Moore. Two items were given by Mr. Gilbert Govan, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and nine letters were transferred from the Governor’s Papers. The materials in this collection measure .42 cubic feet and consist of approximately 125 items. There are no restrictions on the materials. Single photocopies of unpublished writings in the James Knox Polk Papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research. SCOPE AND CONTENT The James Knox Polk Collection, composed of approximately 125 items and two volumes for the years 1832-1848, consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, sketches, letter book indexes and a few miscellaneous items. Correspondence includes letters by James K. Polk to Dr. Isaac Thomas, March 14, 1832, to General William Moore, September 24, 1841, and typescripts of ten letters to Major John P. Heiss, 1844; letters by Sarah Polk, 1832 and 1891; Joanna Rucker, 1845- 1847; H. Biles to James K. Polk, 1833; William H.
  • Download Download

    Download Download

    INCIDENTAL PROTECTION: AN EXAMINATION OF THE MORRILL TARIFF Jane Flaherty Thxa,c A&M University ABSTRACT Historians refer to the Morrill Tariff as the first statement of the nascent Republican party’s protectionist agenda, yet an analysis of the measure re veals that this enduring icon of historiography needs modification. Imple mented as a direct response to the fiscal crisis created by the Buchanan administration, the Morrill Tariff represents a bipartisan effort to augment federal revenue for a depleted Treasury. Both President James Buchanan and many of his Democratic colleagues in Congress urged revising the Tar iff of 1857 to arrest the growth of the federal deficit. However, the bitter rhetoric that accompanied the secession crisis has obscured the true nature of this short-lived, but important, revenue measure. An examination of the Morrill Tariff and the circumstances surrounding its passage demonstrate that it re-established the rates from the free trade Tariff of 1846 while pro viding incidental protection for select industries, a practice accepted, even advocated, by the Democratic party for over a decade. President Buchanan James Buchanan’s election to the presidency in 1856 proved a disappointing, if not disastrous, climax to an illustrious political career. He represented Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives from 1821-1831 and the Senate from 1834-1845. During his congressional career, he emerged as a leading, though never dynamic, spokesman for the Jacksonian Democratic principles of sound money, frugal government, and strict adherence to the Constitution. Though Buchanan served honorably in the Con gress, he distinguished himself through his foreign service as the minister to Russia from 1831-1833, secretary of state during the administration ofJames K.
  • Growth of Presidential Power

    Growth of Presidential Power

    Growth of Presidential Power A. Article II of the Constitution 1. Article II is the part of the Constitution that deals with the Executive Branch. 2. Article II is basically just a short outline of powers. 3. A large part of America’s early political history deals with defining the extent of the executive power. B. The Changing View of Presidential Power 1. Why Presidential Power Has Grown -The presidency is in the hands of one person, rather than many, and many Presidents have worked to expand the powers of their office. -As the country grew and industrialized, especially in times of emergency, people demanded that the Federal Government play a larger role and looked to the President for leadership. -Congress has delegated much authority to the President, although presidential control over foreign affairs is greater than it is over domestic affairs. Congress simply continues to assert itself in the implementation of social programs. -Presidents have the attention and general respect of the media, the public, and their own party. C. How Presidents Have Viewed Their Power 1. Stronger and more effective Presidents have taken a broad view of the powers of the office. 2. Teddy Roosevelt viewed his broad use of Presidential powers as the “Stewardship Theory”, which means that the President should have the power to act as a “steward” over the country. 3. Recent, very strong presidents have given rise to the phrase “Imperial Presidency”, which implies that the President becomes as strong as an emperor. The term is often used to refer to the administration of Richard Nixon.
  • Congressional Record- Senate. July 28, \' -Senate

    Congressional Record- Senate. July 28, \' -Senate

    \ \ 2806 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- SENATE. JULY 28, \' -SENATE. A bill (S. 2837) granting a pension to Matilda Robertson (with accompanying paper); to the Committee on Pensions. MoNDAY, July ~8, 1913. By .Mr. McLEAN : Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman, D. D. A bill (S. 2838) granting an increase of pension to Ruth El. The VICE PRESIDENT resumed the chair. Putnam (with accompanying paper) ; and The Journal of the proceedings of Saturday last was read and A bill ( S. 2 39) granting an increase of pension to Theodore C. approved. Bates (with accompanying paper); to the Committee on Pensions. By Mr. PO~lERENE: SENATOR FROM GEORGI.A.. A bill ( S. 2840) for the relief of Edgar R. Kellogg; and The VICE PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a certificate A bill (S. 2841) for the relief of the estate of Francis El, from the governor of Georgia certifying the election of Hon. Lacey ; to the Committee on Claims. AUGUSTUS 0. BACON as a Senator from the State of Georgia, By Mr. SHIELDS: _ which was read and ordered to be filed, as follows: A bill ( S. 2842) to reimburse Jetta Lee, late postmaster STATE OF GEORGIA, at Newport, Tenn., for key funds stolen from post office (with EXECUTIVE DEPAJlTMENT, accompanying paper) ; to the Committee on Claims. Atlanta, July 25, 191S. To the President of the Senate of the UnUea States: THE .MODERN BY-PRODUOT COKE OVEN (S. DOC. NO. 145). This is to certify that at an election held pursuant to law in the l\I~·· BANKHEAD. I ask unanimous consent to have printed State of Georgia on the 15th day of July, 1913, by the electors in said State.
  • Andrew Jackson: Should He Be on the $20 Bill?

    Andrew Jackson: Should He Be on the $20 Bill?

    ANDREW JACKSON: SHOULD HE BE ON THE $20 BILL? Introduction: Historians continue to debate the merits of the decisions and actions taken by President Andrew Jackson during his two terms in office. Living between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, Jackson played a central role in virtually all of the controversial issues of his time - Indian removal, economic reform, states' rights, and slavery. Overshadowed in popular culture by the Founding Fathers and even wartime Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, Jackson nonetheless played a pivotal role in America's development. In 1929, the Treasury Department replaced Grover Cleveland's portrait on the twenty-dollar bill with that of Jackson, a nice bit of irony considering Jackson's opposition to paper money. Today, some people advocate replacing Jackson's image with that of some other prominent American, such as Martin Luther King or even President Ronald Reagan Procedures/tasks: -You will be assigned a specific role you are to research. Do not forget it or you will loose points off your final grade for the project. Write it down on the line below: I am researching the role of _______________________________ - Once you have your role you are to go to http://www.pbs.org/kcet/andrewjackson/edu/webquest2task.html and read the instructions that start with the line, “For this WebQuest, it is the 1920s and the…” PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE GIVING A SPEECH – YOU ARE TO WRITE A PERSUASIVE ESSAY INSTEAD - Once you have read the directions click on the name/group you were assigned to.
  • James Buchanan As Savior? Judicial Power, Political Fragmentation, and the Failed 1831 Repeal of Section 25

    James Buchanan As Savior? Judicial Power, Political Fragmentation, and the Failed 1831 Repeal of Section 25

    MARK A. GRABER* James Buchanan as Savior? Judicial Power, Political Fragmentation, and the Failed 1831 Repeal of Section 25 A ntebellum Americans anticipated contemporary political science when they complained about the tendency of embattled political elites to take refuge in the judiciary. Recent scholarship on comparative judicial politics suggests that judicial review is a means by which constitutional framers provided protection for certain class interests that may no longer be fully protected in legislative settings. Tom Ginsburg claims, "[I]f they foresee themselves losing in postconstitutional elections," the politicians responsible for the constitution "may seek to entrench judicial review as a form of political insurance." 1 Such a constitutional design ensures "[e]ven if they lose the election, they will be able to have some access to a forum in which to challenge the legislature."2 In 1801, Thomas Jefferson foreshadowed this strategy. He asserted that the defeated Federalist Party had "retired into the judiciary as a stronghold ...and from that battery all the works of republicanism are to be beaten down and erased.",3 More than a half century later, Chief Justice David S. *Professor of Law and Government, University of Maryland School of Law. This Article was written while the author was the 2008-09 Wayne Morse Chair at the University of Oregon School of Law. I am grateful to the Morse Foundation, Margaret Hallock, and Elizabeth Weber for their remarkable support. I am also grateful to numerous colleagues at the University of Maryland School of Law and elsewhere who read and commented on what follows without giggling too much.
  • Andrew Jackson

    Andrew Jackson

    THE JACKSONIAN ERA DEMOCRATS AND WHIGS: THE SECOND PARTY SYSTEM THE “ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS” • James Monroe (1817-1825) was the last Founder to serve as President • Federalist party had been discredited after War of 1812 • Monroe unopposed for reelection in 1820 • Foreign policy triumphs: • Adams-Onís Treaty (1819) settled boundary with Mexico & added Florida • Monroe Doctrine warned Europeans against further colonization in Americas James Monroe, By Gilbert Stuart THE ELECTION OF 1824 & THE SPLIT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY • “Era of Good Feelings” collapsed under weight of sectional & economic differences • New generation of politicians • Election of 1824 saw Republican party split into factions • Andrew Jackson received plurality of popular & electoral vote • House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams to be president • Henry Clay became Secretary of State – accused of “corrupt bargain” • John Quincy Adams’ Inaugural Address called in vain for return to unity THE NATIONAL REPUBLICANS (WHIGS) • The leaders: • Henry Clay • John Quincy Adams • Daniel Webster • The followers: • Middle class Henry Clay • Educated • Evangelical • Native-born • Market-oriented John Quincy Adams WHIG ISSUES • Conscience Whigs – abolition, temperance, women’s rights, etc. • Cotton Whigs – internal improvements & protective tariffs to foster economic growth (the “American System”) THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICANS (DEMOCRATS) • The leaders: • Martin Van Buren • Andrew Jackson • John C. Calhoun • The followers: Martin Van Buren • Northern working class & Southern planter aristocracy • Not well-educated • Confessional churches • Immigrants • Locally-oriented John C. Calhoun DEMOCRATIC ISSUES • Limited power for federal government & states’ rights • Opposition to “corrupt” alliance between government & business • Individual freedom from coercion “KING ANDREW” & THE “MONSTER BANK” • Marshall’s decision in McCulloch v.
  • Andrew Jackson Collection, 1788-1942

    Andrew Jackson Collection, 1788-1942

    State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312 ANDREW JACKSON COLLECTION, 1788-1942 Accession numbers: 3, 37, 38, 41, 297, 574, 582, 624, 640, 646, 691, 692, 845, 861, 968, 971, 995, 1103, 1125, 1126, 1128, 1170 1243, 1301, 1392, 69-160, and 78-048 Processed by Harriet C. Owsley and Linda J. Drake Date completed: June 1, 1959 Revised: 1964 Microfilm Accession Number: Mf. 809 Location: VI-A-4-6 The collected papers of and materials about Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), Judge Advocate of Davidson County, Tennessee, Militia Regiment, 1791; member of Congress, 1796-1798, 1823- 1824; Major General, United States Army, 1814; Governor of Florida Territory, 1821; and President of the United States, 1828-1836, were collected by Mr. And Mrs. John Trotwood Moore on behalf of the Tennessee State Library and Archives during their respective terms as State Librarian and Archivist. The documents were acquired from various sources. Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 6.0 Approximate number of items: 1.500 Single photocopies of unpublished writings may be made for purposes of scholarly research. Microfilm Container List Reel 1: Box 1 to Box 3, Folder 13 Reel 2: Box 3, Folder 13 to Box 6, Folder 2 Reel 3: Box 6, Folder 3 to Box 9 On Reel 3 of the microfilm, targets labeled box 5 should be labeled Box 6. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Andrew Jackson Papers, approximately 1,500 items (originals, photostats, and Xerox copies) dating from 1788 to 1942, are composed of correspondence: legal documents; clippings; documents about the Dickinson duel; articles about Andrew Jackson; biographical data concerning Andrew Jackson; biographical data concerning Ralph Earl (portrait painter); John H.
  • James Buchanan Denied the Truth of General Jack- Son's Public Charge

    James Buchanan Denied the Truth of General Jack- Son's Public Charge

    The "Corrupt Bargain" Calumny 61 JACKSON, BUCHANAN, AND THE "COKRUPT BARGAIN" CALUMNY* By RICHARD R. STENBERG, Ph.D. James Buchanan denied the truth of General Jack- son's public charge in 1827 of "corrupt bargain" against Clay, a charge in which Buchanan (a young Eepresentative from Pennsylvania) was named as the "corrupt" Clay's agent. This adjourned question of veracity has never been fully solved. Some historians have believed Jackson and disbelieved Buchanan; but most of them think Buchanan's version nearer the truth, and deny a corrupt bargain. Those, however, who reject Jackson's assertions have gladly accepted the weak apology which Buchanan made for his friend's un- truths—that the Old Hero labored under an honest mis- apprehension. But Jackson's private papers and the circumstances seem to reveal that he had no honest misapprehension and that the "corrupt bargain" affair merely illustrates Jackson's subtle falseness and * Dr. Stenberg, after the completion of this contribution to the Mag- azine, spent considerable time at the Library of Congress in the exam- ination of original source material for an extensive treatment of Andrew Jackson. He has just announced the discovery of amazing evidence, too late for publication here, which refers to George Kremer's letter to Mr. Jackson of March 8, 1825, published in Bassett's Correspondence of Andrew Jackson (III. 281), and discussed in this article. Dr. Sten- berg writes that the "postscript" to the Kremer letter has every ap- pearance of being a forgery added by Jackson himself. His forthcoming book, The Insidious Andrew Jackson, will contain a photograph of the Kremer document, so that the "postscript" may be compared with the main body of the letter.
  • Senate 6761 4864

    Senate 6761 4864

    1932 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE 6761 4864. By Mr. LINDSAY: Petition of Nichols Copper Co., sentatives of the wholesale and retail merchants, bankers, Laurel Hill, Long Island, N. Y., favoring the passage of and manufacturers of Williamson, W. Va., urging that Con­ House Resolution 319; to the Committee on Ways and Means. gress enact legislation providing that bus and truck lines be 4865. Also, petition of Warrior Ideal Democratic Organiza­ placed under the rules and regulations and direction of the tion, 9 Seigel Street, Brooklyn, N. Y., favoring a universal Interstate Commerce Commission; to the Committee on 5-day week; to the Committee on Labor. Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 486ft Also, petition of Louis Brosky, 213 Kent Street, 4884. By Mr. STALKER: Petition of members of the Brooklyn, N.Y., executive secretary of the Unemployed and Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Washington, D. C., Unattached Veterans of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., favor­ opposing the resubmission of the eighteenth amendment to ing the immediate payment of the adjusted-service certifi­ be ratified by State conventions or by State legislatures, cates, House bill. 1; to the Committee on Ways and Means. and supporting adequate appropriations for law enforce­ 4867. By Mr. NELSON of Maine: Petition of George S. ment and for education in law observance; to the Committee Staples and 86 other citizens of Maine, urging support for on the Judiciary. House bill 9891, to provide pensions for certain railroad 4885. Also, petition of residents of Hornell, N. Y., protest­ employees; to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Com­ ing against compulsory Sunday observance; to the Com­ merce.
  • Inaugural History

    Inaugural History

    INAUGURAL HISTORY Here is some inaugural trivia, followed by a short description of each inauguration since George Washington. Ceremony o First outdoor ceremony: George Washington, 1789, balcony, Federal Hall, New York City. George Washington is the only U.S. President to have been inaugurated in two different cities, New York City in April 1789, and his second took place in Philadelphia in March 1793. o First president to take oath on January 20th: Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937, his second inaugural. o Presidents who used two Bibles at their inauguration: Harry Truman, 1949, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953, George Bush, 1989. o Someone forgot the Bible for FDR's first inauguration in 1933. A policeman offered his. o 36 of the 53 U.S. Inaugurations were held on the East Portico of the Capitol. In 1981, Ronald Reagan was the first to hold an inauguration on the West Front. Platform o First platform constructed for an inauguration: Martin Van Buren, 1837 [note: James Monroe, 1817, was inaugurated in a temporary portico outside Congress Hall because the Capitol had been burned down by the British in the War of 1812]. o First canopied platform: Abraham Lincoln, 1861. Broadcasting o First ceremony to be reported by telegraph: James Polk, 1845. o First ceremony to be photographed: James Buchanan, 1857. o First motion picture of ceremony: William McKinley, 1897. o First electronically-amplified speech: Warren Harding, 1921. o First radio broadcast: Calvin Coolidge, 1925. o First recorded on talking newsreel: Herbert Hoover, 1929. o First television coverage: Harry Truman, 1949. [Only 172,000 households had television sets.] o First live Internet broadcast: Bill Clinton, 1997.