President Barack Obama will be sworn in for his second term on Monday, Jan. 21 in an inauguration ceremony centered around the theme of "Faith in America's Future," members of the Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced on Thursday.
Organizers outlined their intent to have the event reflect the historical significance of the date, 150 years since 1863, a year that saw President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual completion of the Capitol dome.
“Our nation has faced countless challenges throughout its history, and each time we have come together as Americans and moved forward with renewed strength,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the committee, said in the release. “During the 57th Presidential Inauguration, Americans from across the country will gather beneath the Capitol Dome to celebrate our history, take measure of how far we have come, and look towards our future with hope and determination.”
Read the rest of the statement fromt the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies here.
Obama's 2009 inaugural theme, "A New Birth Of Freedom," also paid tribute to Lincoln. The phrase was borrowed from the Gettysburg Address. In a release announcing that theme, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) noted that Obama's swearing in commemorated the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Feinstein's party affiliation. She is a Democrat.
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