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Inauguration Day is typically a celebration steeped in tradition and spectacle and symbolism, the kind of newsworthy event from which educators could easily draw age-appropriate lessons.
But this is no ordinary inauguration day, no typical peaceful transition of power and show of unity. President Trump will be the first commander in chief since 1869 to miss his predecessor’s swearing-in, which comes days after he was impeached for his role in the riots designed to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Security at the inauguration will be abnormally tight, and much of the typical pageantry has been shelved due to the pandemic.