The Best and Worst of Inaugural Balls and Parties

 By Sherri Boomershine

Inaugural balls were glamorous gatherings filled with music, dancing, and noteworthy guests. The newly sworn-in president typically made an appearance, welcomed guests, and took the first ceremonial dance. However, throughout the nineteenth century, parties ranged from stately affairs to downright rowdy parties. For James Madison’s inauguration in 1809, a Navy captain asked Dolley if a formal dinner and dance could be thrown in the couple’s honor. She agreed, and so began the tradition of the inaugural ball that continues to this day. James and Dolley Madison appeared to be virtual opposites. James was quiet, reserved, and also short of stature at a time when most presidents were tall. Dolley, on the other hand, was outgoing, gracious, and significantly taller than her husband. James was not good at small talk, so he positioned Dolley at the head of the table so she could direct the night’s conversations. She had the uncanny ability to draw out people’s views on key issues. She was also adept at peacemaking. Once, she convinced two fighting members of Congress to call off a duel. 

 

While James was conservative in his choice of clothing, Dolley was a flashy dresser. After being excommunicated from the Quakers, she exchanged the drab garb worn by Quaker women for the extravagant, classic style she became known for. She dressed in bright colors and started a new trend with the trademark turbans she wore around her head. She also caused a stir with her low-cut empire-waist gowns. Although she was inspired by European fashions of the day, she made them distinctly American with the republican style government of Thomas Jefferson and her husband. Though some critics thought she looked too “queenly,” most newspapers raved that through her clothing, Dolley gave American people something to aspire to as a new nation. Women across the country approved of her style, as many began copying it. https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/first-ladies-dolley-madison 

Not all inaugural parties were elegant affairs. On March 4, 1829, a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands descended on Washington, D.C., to witness Andrew Jackson take the oath of office on the portico of the Capitol. The white-haired war hero known as “Old Hickory” gave a speech which was hard to hear, then bowed to the adoring throng. Jackson was America's first populist president, a straight-talking candidate who vowed to represent the people, not the Washington elite. In fact, he was the first president to win by appealing to the masses.

When the inauguration ceremony was over, the crowd broke through the barriers and rushed up the Capitol steps to shake hands with the new president. “The living mass was impenetrable,” wrote Margaret Bayard Smith, a Washington socialite. “Country men, farmers, gentlemen, boys, women, and children pursued President Jackson to the White House in carts, carriages, and on foot.” Following a tradition established by George Washington, Jackson held a “levee” back at the White House, an “open house” where regular citizens could mingle with the new First Family. And that’s when things got out of control. Way out of control. “…Thousands of people — ‘dirty’ people with mud on their boots who, according to the genteel, should not have been there — stormed the White House and created total chaos,” said Daniel Feller, an emeritus history professor at the University of Tennessee and editor of The Papers of Andrew Jackson. “People standing on chairs to get a better view, grabbing for food and drinks to the point that tables are overturned and being shattered.”

Daniel Webster, a senator from Massachusetts, was no fan of Jackson’s politics, but he came away with a different opinion of the “monstrous crowd of people” who descended upon the city. “I never saw anything like it before. Persons have come 500 miles to see General Jackson and they really seem to think that the Country is rescued from some dreadful danger.” Webster made no mention of the shambles they created in the White House, but categorized the massive crowd at Jackson’s inaugural ball as political aspirants looking for cushy government jobs with the new administration. Regardless of who came uninvited to the inaugural ball in 1829, Dolley would have rolled over in her grave. https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/andrew-jacksons-inauguration.htm

 

Belson. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2249578  

Sherri Boomershine is a woman of faith who loves all things foreign whether it’s food, culture, or language. A former French teacher and flight attendant, her passion is traveling to the settings of her books, sampling the food, and visiting the sites. She visited a Netherlands concentration camp for A Song for Her Enemies, and Paris art museums for What Hides beyond the Walls. Sherri lives with her husband Mike, her high school sweetheart, whom she married fifty-five years later. As an author and editor, she hopes her books will entertain and challenge readers to live large and connect with their Savior. Join, chat, and share with her on social media. Newsletter Facebook Twitter Instagram Website

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