Presidential inaugurations occurred on March 4 from 1793 until 1933—a four-month gap after elections needed for counting votes and travel. This lengthy transition created crises: seven states seceded during the "Secession Winter" of 1860-61 while President-elect Abraham Lincoln held no power to act, and Franklin Roosevelt waited four months during the Great Depression to implement New Deal reforms as financial markets spiraled. Congress proposed the 20th Amendment in 1932 to shorten this "lame duck" period. States ratified it January 23, 1933, moving inauguration to January 20. Roosevelt became the first president inaugurated under the new date in 1937 during his second term. Since then, all presidents and vice presidents begin their terms at noon on January 20 following the November election. If January 20 falls on a Sunday, the public ceremony happens January 21, though the President still takes office at noon on the 20th.