Security concerns have gripped the capital, and World War II continued to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens. This was the situation in the United States, when the Americans were preparing for the fourth presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was an extraordinary presidential inauguration, and completely different from any in US history.
Due to the fact that the Americans were entering the fourth year of active participation in the war, Roosevelt felt that it was necessary to organize as simple a party as possible for this occasion. The event took place on January 20, 1945.
To save money in a period of time Gas or firewood They were justifying the residents, the president decided there would be no further festivities that day. No concerts, parties, military band, and shows.
Franklin Roosevelt’s fourth inauguration is recorded in history
The only US president to be sworn in during the war was Abraham Lincoln. But it was opened with pomp, including many folk customs related to the occasion. Roosevelt also became president for the first time during the Great Depression of 1933. However, no such savings were made on the day of the Inauguration. History.
Although those are in Congress
American They agreed to a budget of $ 25,000 for the inauguration, and Roosevelt asked them to limit the amount to less than $ 2,000. That morning, there were still traces of the previous night’s downpours, across the country. A gray, cloudy sky matches the atmosphere in American souls. The president was also not in good health, his son James noted.
What was seen that day when Roosevelt appeared
If there were about 150,000 Americans in 1933 who had seen him sworn in, there were now only 8,000. Roosevelt appeared in front of the crowd at noon, without a hat or coat, despite the uncomfortable temperatures outside. His appearance frightened Edith Wilson, the former first lady of the United States. She was a widow Former US President Woodrow Wilson.
I feel terrible. She told Francis Perkins he looked exactly like my husband when his health deteriorated. ”He didn’t even suspect how healthy he was at the time. Less than three months later, Franklin D. Roosevelt He was dying of life.