Democracy's Big Day is written in vignette style, designed to make history fun. The book's wonderful stories provide colorful chapter titles!
Preface ... Foreword by Steve Futterman, CBS News ... Democracy's Big Day ... The Prelude ... Morning Glory ... The People's Presidents ... Can't We All Get Along? ...The Ceremony ... Capitol Hill ... This I Swear ... The Father of the Inauguration ... Where's the Chief? ... Different Strokes ... Let's Hear It for the Girl ... The Bible, a Chair and a Lock of Hair ... A Biblical Journey ... In and Out ... March to January ... East Side, West Side ... Never on Sunday ... One Day Wonders ... Sneaking into Town ... Streaking into Town ... Super Bowl Connection ... I've Seen Fire ...and I've Seen Rain ... Eight Is Not Enough ... We Are Family ... Talking the Talk ... The First Change of Power ... The Civil War Inaugurals ... Quelling Our Fears ... Inspiring a Generation ... Speechless in Washington ... The Long and Short of It ... The Inauguration Wasn't the Lead Story ... The Inaugural Parade ... Everyone Loves a Parade! ... From Spontaneity to Precision ... Presidentially Sealed with a Kiss ... The Big Parade ... Desperate White House Wives ... Nixon's the One ... Walking the Walk ... Hail to the Thief ... Don't Rain on My Parade ... The Inaugural Ball ... It's Party Time! ... A Tough Ticket ... The Wildest Party ... The Loneliest Night ... The Runs for the White House ... A Historic Greeting and Compliment ... Who is Buried at Grant's Inaugural Balls? ... Big Men, Big Parties ... Ball Busters ... Sudden Death (and Resignation) ... No Party of Five ... A Humble Beginning ... Assassination ... Father Knows Best ... Are You Ready? ... Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue ... The End of the Affair ... Inauguration Map ... Inauguration Chart ... References ... Acknowledgments ... About the Author ... Index
Corrections: Page 29, 3rd paragraph, should read: when Chief Justice Edward D. White swore in Woodrow Wilson in 1913, White recited the entire oath, without stopping, almost in the form of a question. When he was done, Wilson then only said two words: "I do." Chief Justice William Howard Taft followed this approach at the inaugurations of Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover in 1925 and 1929. Page 85, 3rd paragraph, should read: Dawes was a rather creative individual who had written the music to a popular song called "It's All in the Game." Acknowledgment on page 186 should read: Bill Jenney, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation
