The lower floor of the White House filled to capacity, and then people began climbing over carpets and furniture in order to get even a glimpse of the new President. No one was prepared for it, and people grew impatient as they waited in line to meet Jackson.
The executive mansion had traditionally been kept open for the public to call on the President during inauguration day, but the sheer numbers on the day of Jackson's inauguration surpassed anything seen before. The bulk of the crowd walked with the new President down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. After the address, when Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath of office to Jackson, the whole crowd cheered wildly. There was little new in the address, and as Jackson did not speak loudly, not many in the crowd heard it. He promised to end the national debt and keep the size of the government small. He would work against corruption and for reform. In the address, he reaffirmed many of the promises he and his supporters had made during the campaign. His inaugural address was brief, lasting only about ten minutes. Jackson delivered his address before receiving the oath of office, as was the practice of the time. Before and after the ceremony, Jackson bowed to the people, a symbolic gesture that was the exact opposite of a monarchy, where the people bow to the king or queen. Somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 people witnessed Jackson deliver his inaugural address and take the oath of office.
His tall figure and gray hair made him easily visible to the crowds. Jackson played the part of a democratic hero, as he wore a suit of plain black and no hat. Public adulation greeted Jackson before the ceremony began, and thousands thronged around him when he left his hotel to walk to the Capitol. (Presidential inaugurations were moved to the west portico in 1981.) This site was selected in order to accommodate the thousands of people who had journeyed to Washington, D.C., to witness the inauguration. Jackson's inaugural was the first one to take place on the east portico of the Capitol building in Washington. The lasting images of the inauguration have made it a staple in histories of the American presidency as well histories of Andrew Jackson and his times. His critics cited the chaos of the day as an example of the will of the people run amok. Jackson's supporters reveled in the image of an executive mansion, and by extension a government, open to all. Jackson's inauguration has become a part of American political folklore because thousand of people participated in the ceremonies.
On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson took the oath of office and became the seventh President of the United States.
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