After the President and Vice President were sworn in at Capitol Hill, a luncheon was held.
The luncheon usually featured dishes from the new President and Vice President's hometowns, though some White House hosts favored extravagance. At such times, the guests could feast lavishly.
After the luncheon, the presidential motorcade traveled along Pennsylvania Avenue, accompanied by honor guards from the three armed services, civilian groups, military bands, and floats of every kind. The President, Vice President, and guests took their seats in the reviewing stand before the White House to watch the parade.
After the parade, the President moved into the White House. That evening, the Presidential Inaugural Committee held numerous balls to celebrate the new President's inauguration.
The tradition of holding balls in Washington began with President James Madison's inauguration in 1809.
For American high school students, there were three dances they had to attend: the homecoming dance, the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and the prom. Prom in particular was meant to leave the best and most unforgettable memories of their final year at school. A so-called "King" and "Queen" were elected at the dance, and becoming prom queen was every high school girl's goal.
Joseph had once seen a girl rent a stretch limousine just to stand out at a dance.
She dressed and carried herself with all the bearing of a queen, but compared to the First Ladies at White House inaugural parties, she was still too young and far too sharp-edged.
Or rather, they should never have been compared in the first place. Other than both being women, they had nothing in common.
Yet those "gentlemen" were clearly much more attentive when serving young, beautiful, unmarried women than when fussing over the First Lady.
Because of one President's particular fondness for White House interns, blue dresses had