President Barack Obama's hand lies on a bible as he is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2009.
The anniversary year of two pivotal historical events demands a double dose of swearing-in power: 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. President Obama will place his left hand on top of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “traveling” Bible, which will be stacked on top of the inaugural Bible President Lincoln used in 1861. Obama used the sixteenth president’s burgundy velvet Bible during his first Inauguration four years ago. For the private swearing-in on January 20, Obama will use the Robinson Family Bible, a Mother’s Day gift from first lady Michelle Obama’s father, Fraser Robinson, to his mother, LaVaughn Delores Robinson, in 1958. On the President using three inauguration bibles, late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien said, “Relax, Mr. President. We get it. You’re not a Muslim. You’re overcompensating.”