Decked out in about twelve layers each, my friends and I arrived at the mall at approximately 2:00 in the morning. Let me just say up front that this was a TERRIBLE idea that culminated in us huddling together on the ground on top of pieces of discarded cardboard in an attempt to ward off the hypothermia. Frost bite aside, however, the ten+ hours I spent at the inaugural festivities are ones I will not soon forget. What surprised me most was that in the darkest, coldest hours of the morning the hundreds of people surrounding us did not sit around complaining about the temperature or yelling at those still trying to find an open space to sit. Instead, some people entertained the rest by singing songs while others often burst into sporadic chants of "Obama, Obama." Neighboring groups participated in hushed conversations about politics and what they believed this Presidency would mean for the future of the country. There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air, and even through the most miserable parts of the night, the notion that this day would bring an historic moment worth freezing for was never abandoned.
The Inauguration is seen by many to be a dated ceremony preformed solely to demonstrate the peaceful and legitimate transfer of power. During my night spent on the cold ground of the national mall, I came to realize that the most historic aspect of President Obama's inauguration was not the oath or even the speech, but rather the fact that a simple ceremony had the power to bring together millions of people under a banner of hope for the future of the country and to ignite an interest for politics in those who are usually indifferent.