The second inauguration of James Monroe as

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

was held on Monday, March 5, 1821, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol. The

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

marked the commencement of the second four-year term of

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

as president and Daniel D. Tompkins as

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

. Monroe had almost unanimously won the election of 1820 for a second term. He was sworn in by

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American statesman, jurist, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remai ...

, the Chief Justice of the United States. Because of a snowstorm, the inauguration was held indoors; also, because March 4, 1821, was a Sunday, Monroe moved the inauguration to the following day after talking with justices of the Supreme Court.

Ceremony

The inauguration took place indoors in the newly refurbished House chamber, unlike Monroe's first inauguration which happened in front of the Capitol. Around 3000 people crammed into the chamber for the occasion. Monroe arrived at noon in a plain carriage with his cabinet members behind him. Vice President Tompkins did not attend the occasion and instead took the oath of office in New York. In his inaugural address, Monroe addressed recent achievements in negotiating the acquisition of Florida from Spain, loosely endorsed a higher tariff, and called for efforts to civilize Native Americans after recent attacks. He generally avoided discussing the ongoing

Panic of 1819 The Panic of 1819 was the first widespread and durable financial crisis in the United States that slowed westward expansion in the Cotton Belt and was followed by a general collapse of the American economy that persisted through 1821. The Panic ...

and the

Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise (also known as the Compromise of 1820) was federal legislation of the United States that balanced the desires of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand ...

situation. After the speech, Monroe hosted an inaugural ball at Brown's Hotel.

Ceremony

See also

References

External links