LibGuides: Election 2024: Home

Poems for Presidents

INAUGURAL POETRY
Only six poets have read or recited poems at U.S. presidential inaugurations. The first-ever inaugural poet was Robert Frost, at JFK's inauguration ceremony in 1961. FYI, President Trump did not have poetry at his inaugural in 2017.

1961: John F. Kennedy.
Robert Frost recited "The Gift Outright" from memory after he was unable to read the text of the poem he'd written for the inauguration, "Dedication," because of the sun's glare upon the snow-covered ground. A video of Frost reading "The Gift Outright" at Kennedy's inauguration is available through the Hulu Web site.
1993: Bill Clinton.
Maya Angelou read "On the Pulse of Morning." A video of the reading is available through YouTube.
1997: Bill Clinton.
Miller Williams read "Of History and Hope." A video of the reading is available through YouTube.
2009: Barak Obama.
Elizabeth Alexander read "Praise Song for the Day." A video of Alexander's reading is available on YouTube.
2013: Barak Obama. Richard Blanco read "One Today." A video of the reading is available through YouTube.
2021: Joe Biden. Amanda Gorman read "The Hill We Climb." A video of the reading is available through YouTube.

Film Recommendations

ELECTIONS AT THE MOVIES
From VOX, seven movies and shows to stream that will help you wrap your mind around issues like gerrymandering and voter suppression.

Presidential Campaign Posters

CAMPAIGN POSTER HISTORY
Check out a selection of campaign posters from Lincoln to Trump, with some Democrats in between.

Library of Congress: Pictorial Americana: Presidential Campaigns
Selected images from the Library of Congress relating to presidential campaigns, 1836-1908;

Election News

New York Times - Politics

CNN - Politics

NPR Election 2024

Saint Ann's Library Databases

Library Database Page
Our large collection of databases is a great place to start for all your research needs. For election info, be sure to check out Polling the Nations and Access World News.