Hail to the Chief!

Today we watched power pass from one president to another, and in the process we witnessed the first African American man assume the nation's highest office. In honor of this occasion here are some wonderful websites that will help you get to know a little more about our government.

Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States: George Washington to Barack H. Obama

Find U.S. presidents' inaugural addresses, brief historical synopses of each inauguration, pictures of the presidents, and the text of the oath of office. Includes information about the five presidents who assumed office without inauguration. Searchable and browsable. From Bartleby.com.

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

This site from the Smithsonian presents background information on the presidency, the campaigns to achieve it, and the men who have been president. Find brief biographical sketches, lists of achievements, images of items in the Smithsonian's collection, and classroom aids. The "Resources" section includes a list of all the presidential candidates, a list of military service of the presidents, a bibliography, and annotated links to other presidential websites.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States

This site makes available material compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, employing the same database used in producing the hardcover printed volumes. Contains the public papers from the current administration and previous administrations starting in 1991. The volumes are searchable as well as browsable by table of contents, photographic portfolio, presidential documents published in the Federal Register, subject, name of person mentioned, and document category.

Our First Ladies

This site from the White House presents brief biographies of the current and past first ladies. Some profiles include images.