National Mall In D.C. To Be Entirely Opened For Obama's Inauguration

December 4, 2008 2:18 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Obama Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) said on Thursday that the entire length of the National Mall will be opened to the public for the swearing-in of a new commander-in-chief.

The PIC said it "worked closely" with officials from the District of Columbia, the National Park Service, the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which is responsible for distributing inaugural tickets, to accommodate as many people as possible during a historic event.

"This will be an Inauguration for all Americans," Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said in a statement. "We are dedicated to opening it up so that people from across the country can gather together in America's front yard. We remain hard at work to ensure the day's festivities are safe and accessible for visitors, residents, and businesses alike."

Obama, the first Democrat to win more than 51 percent of the popular vote, will be inaugurated as the 44th U.S. president on Jan. 20 at the west front of the Capitol. His swearing-in will also commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, Obama's favorite president, by having as its theme words from the the Gettysburg address, "A New Birth of Freedom."

In August, Obama had opened up the Democratic National Convention and held his nomination acceptance speech a 76,000-capacity football stadium. His speech as the first African-American presidential nominee fell on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.