Obama’s Second Term Begins

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President Barack Obama begins his second term on Inauguration Day, Monday, January 21, 2013—the day the nation also celebrates the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The 2009 inauguration set many records and drew some 1.8 million people to Washington, D.C., to witness the historic event. The second inauguration is expected to be on a somewhat smaller scale, but just as grand.

A Rocky Road

The weeks since Election Day 2012 have been rocky, with the president’s approval rating first plunging and then rising to a new high. The president and Congress stopped just short of the edge of the fiscal cliff with a new tax agreement that has already begun hitting Americans’ wallets. Obama and lawmakers also passed the long-awaited Hurricane Sandy relief bill, although not without some controversy. In the wake of the December shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, the president has signed executive orders that promise a new era of gun control. In addition to nominating new staffers, the president has hosted foreign heads of state and awarded the Medal of Honor to its fourth living recipient.

National Day of Service

As he did at the beginning of his first term, Obama opens inauguration festivities with the National Day of Service. On Saturday, January 19, the president and his family will join others around the nation to participate in service projects in their communities. Obama has long promoted volunteering, expanding programs like AmeriCorps and initiating Serve.gov as a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities.

Two Swearing-in Ceremonies

According to the White House, the first terms for President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden officially end at noon on Sunday, January 20. At that time, they will each be sworn in for second terms in a small, private ceremony. Tradition says that if the swearing-in occurs on a Sunday that there will be a separate, public swearing-in ceremony the next day. At the ceremony on Monday, January 21, President Obama will join predecessors Reagan, Eisenhower, Wilson, Hayes, Taylor, and Monroe, all of whom had second swearing-in ceremonies.

Watch It Happen

Public viewing areas for the inauguration ceremony and the Inaugural Parade will be available on the National Mall. If you can’t make it to Washington, follow the action on television or via live feeds at news show websites or on Facebook and Twitter. Numerous Inauguration Week parties and balls will take place in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Many of these parties will feature special musical performances and honor distinguished Americans from legislators and teachers to activists and military personnel.