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The Capitol Grounds serve as the stage to some of the nation's most important public events, from solemn memorial ceremonies to exciting July Fourth Concerts. The area still functions in many ways as a public park, and visitors are welcome to use the walks to tour the grounds. During the summer, many high-school bands perform in front of the Capitol, and a series of evening concerts by the bands of the armed forces is offered free of charge on the East Front plaza. On various holidays, concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra are held on the west front lawn.

The presidential inaugurations are perhaps the most famous of all the ceremonies that occur on the Capitol Grounds. The first inauguration held outside on the Capitol steps was for Andrew Jackson in 1829.

In the shadow of the Dome, the grounds are the nation's most public platform. From lone orators to masses of demonstrators, people come here to be heard. No other building or landscape so strongly symbolizes the freedom of speech and the freedom to assemble.

Inaugurations

Presidential inaugural ceremonies are perhaps the most widely known of the numerous ceremonies held at the U.S. Capitol. President Thomas Jefferson was the first to be inaugurated at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The ceremony took place in the Old Senate Chamber on March 4, 1801.

Since 1981, the Architect of the Capitol erects the inaugural platform on the Capitol's West Front, sets up the necessary seating and fencing on the grounds, and coordinates other activities with the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inaugural Ceremonies regarding all of the physical arrangements that are necessary to accommodate this event.

Upon being elected in 1828, Andrew Jackson decided that as a "man of the people" he would move the inauguration from inside the Capitol to outside on the East Front so that more people could participate in and witness the historic event. Inaugurations continued to occur on the East Front until 1981, when it was decided for President Ronald Reagan's inauguration that the large terraces on the West Front and the expanse of the National Mall could more easily accommodate the increasingly larger crowds.

Upon being elected in 1828, Andrew Jackson decided that as a "man of the people" he would move the inauguration from inside the Capitol to outside on the East Front so that more people can participate in and witness the historic event. A crowd of 21,000 visitors and guests came to see Andrew Jackson inaugurated in 1829 as the 7th president. The inaugurations have occurred outside the Capitol ever since with one exception. In 1985, due to sub-zero temperatures, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated in the Rotunda of the Capitol.

Inaugurations

Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on the East Front of the Capitol on March 4, 1861, just as the nation was about to enter a civil war. Four years later, Lincoln would be inaugurated for a second term on March 4, 1865, just days after the victory of the Union Army. In an effort to heal the wounds of a divided nation, Lincoln spoke his famous words calling for "malice toward none and charity for all." Six weeks later, on April 14, 1865, he would be assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

The cast-iron table seen in front of President Lincoln was built from parts of the Dome and used by Lincoln to support a glass of water. This table is on display in the Capitol Visitor Center's Exhibition Hall.


Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on the East Front of the Capitol on March 4

The inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States was held on Friday, January 20, 1961, on the East Front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Kennedy won by a narrow margin in the November 1960 election, and became the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic elected and inaugurated as President of the United States.

A strong nor'easter fell the day before the inauguration bringing with it a temperature of 20 °F and a total of 8 inches of snow.

On inauguration day, the skies began to clear but the snow created chaos in Washington, almost canceling the inaugural parade. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was put in charge of clearing the streets during the evening and morning before the inauguration, and were assisted by more than 1,000 District of Columbia employees and 1,700 boy scouts. The snowstorm dropped visibility at Washington National Airport to less than half a mile, preventing former President Herbert Hoover from flying into Washington and attending the inauguration.

Immediately after reciting the oath of office, President Kennedy turned to address the crowd gathered at the Capitol. His inaugural address, the first delivered to a televised audience in color, took only 13 minutes and 42 seconds to deliver making it the fourth-shortest inaugural address ever delivered. The address included Kennedy's famous plea to the American people: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".

With the second inauguration of Barack Obama in 2013, the oath has been taken 71 times by the 44 presidents of the United States.

The most recent inaugural stand required 22,000
Fun Fact

The most recent inaugural stand required 22,000 sheets of plywood, 23 miles of cabling, and four miles of fencing. Nearly 30,000 seats were set up on the West Front lawn.

Celebrations

Independence Day Concert

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Then and now.

The Independence Day concert, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, is televised for the nation to enjoy. Concerts have taken place on the Capitol Grounds since the 1800s.

National Memorial Day Concert

The National Memorial Day Concert is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol, in celebration of Memorial Day since 1989. The concert's mission is to unite the country in remembrance and appreciation of the fallen and to serve those who are grieving. It features uplifting musical performances, documentary footage and dramatic readings that honor the military service of all men and women in uniform, their families at home and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The concert is broadcast live and can also be seen overseas by U.S. military personnel in more than 175 countries and aboard more than 200 U.S. Navy ships at sea on American Forces Network. The concert is viewed and heard by millions across the country and the world, as well as attended by more than half a million people at the United States Capitol.

Easter Egg Roll

Standing near the Capitol along the West Front of the building and looking west down at the West Front lawn, one can imagine the popular Easter Egg Rolls that use to occur here. The original site of the Easter Monday Egg Roll were the grounds of the United States Capitol. By the mid-1870s, the egg-rolling activities on the West Terraces had gained notoriety as the children turned the Capitol Grounds into their Easter Monday playground. The workers and tourists watched in fascination as the children rolled both their hard-boiled eggs and themselves down the lush green hills.

Protests and Marches
Library of Congress

The egg roll activity of 1876 took its toll on the grounds, a fact that did not go unnoticed by members of Congress. With an already inadequate budget to complete the landscaping and maintenance of the grounds, Congress passed a law forbidding the Capitol grounds to be used as a children's playground. The law was to be enforced in 1877. But that Easter Monday rain poured down, canceling any outdoor activities sending the egg rollers indoors to play.

On Easter Saturday of 1878, a small announcement in the local press informed the egg rollers the new law would be enforced. President Rutherford B. Hayes, taking his daily walk, was approached by a number of young egg rollers who inquired about the possibilities of egg rolling on the South Lawn of the White House. President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, officially opened the White House grounds to the children of the area for egg rolling that Easter Monday. Successive Presidents continued the tradition, and the event has been held on the South Lawn of the White House ever since.

Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

The regular practice of displaying a Christmas tree on the Capitol Grounds is relatively recent. Records at the Architect of the Capitol show correspondence from 1919 indicate that a Christmas tree was purchased that year. However, it was not until 1964 that a definite procedure was initiated and a tree-lighting ceremony established.

In 1964, House Speaker John W. McCormack suggested to the Architect of the Capitol that a Christmas tree be placed on the Capitol Grounds. A live 24-foot Douglas fir was purchased for $700 from Pennsylvania and was planted on the West Front lawn. Each year through 1967 this tree was decorated and a tree-lighting ceremony was held.

Unfortunately, a severe wind storm in the spring of 1967 and root damage caused the tree to die in 1968; it was removed in the same year. The 1968 Christmas tree was made from two white pines from Finksburg, Maryland, and was 30 feet tall; the 1969 tree was a 40-foot white pine from Westminster, Maryland.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the trees since 1970.

Protests and Marches

Protests and Marches

On April 7, 1913, suffragists marched from the Capitol to the White House, publicizing their demand that Congress grant women the right to vote.

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Demonstrators with “Impeach Nixon” sign near the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

All photographs courtesy Architect of the Capitol unless otherwise noted.