Have you ever wondered when the media first became involved in the Presidential Election process? The first Presidential Inauguration ever filmed was filmed on March 5th, 1933. It was the Inauguration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Spark your thinking!

1.  Set up your Social Studies mini spark #9: The First Filming of an Inauguration.

2. Click on the link below to watch this first inauguration ever on film:

3. Set your timer for 3 minutes and read part of the this Primary Source: FDR’s First Inaugural Address, 1933.  In this speech, FDR famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” What do you think he meant by this? How can being too scared stop people from solving big problems?

4. The United States Congress traditionally holds an inauguration luncheon in Statuary Hall to honor the president. The food served is often a reflection of the interests or roots of the incoming president. In 1961, Massachusetts-born John F. Kennedy dined on New England boiled stuffed lobster with drawn butter and deviled crabmeat imperial; spending his adult life in California, Ronald Reagan’s menu in 1981 included a California garden salad. If you were elected president of the United States what would be served at your inaugural luncheon reflecting your interests and/or roots?

5. Share your Social Studies mini spark page with your teacher or the EY coordinator in your building.

Learn more about this time period in history with this other Social Study mini sparks.