The historic inauguration of President Barack Obama comes at another prime historic occasion, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, who, like Obama, was an Illinois lawmaker before he rose to the highest political post in the U.S. Many have made references to other similarities between the newly elected President and the man who was once called the Great Emancipator, with both having set major precedents for African Americans. In line with that legacy, Obama will be including quite a few elements of Lincoln’s own inauguration with his.
Sworn in on Lincoln’s Bible
When Barack Obama took office this morning, he placed his hand upon the Bible that was used at Lincoln’s swearing-in ceremony in 1861. America’s 16th president, Lincoln served from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.
Obama became the first president to be sworn in using this Bible since Abraham Lincoln.
The Lincoln Inaugural Bible can be viewed at the Library of Congress from February 12 to May 9 as part of an exhibition called “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition.â€
The exhibit opens to the public on the second floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building at 10 First Street S.E., in Washington D.C.
Inaugural Luncheon
The three-course luncheon meal includes a seafood stew with lobster, shrimp, sea scallops, and cod, duck with cherry chutney, herb-roasted pheasant with wild rice stuffing, whipped sweet potatoes, winter veggies, and cinnamon apple sponge cake, reportedly a favorite of the Mary Todd Lincoln’s dinner parties.
The first course will be served on replicas of the china selected by Mary Todd Lincoln during at the beginning of her husband’s term in office. The china features the American bald eagle standing above the U. S. Coat of Arms, surrounded by a wide border of a purple-red hue popular among the fashionable hosts of the time.
In celebrating the inauguration, you can create the meal yourself by following recipes released by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.