WASHINGTON --- From a slope in the National Mall, Alvin Greenwood said he saw a nation of many become one.

As she watched the inauguration, Carol Bland, 51, recalled sitting in the back of buses and drinking from "colored" water fountains.

The children and their parents watched a presentation about President Obama, sang God Bless America, took pictures with a cutout image of Mr. Obama and participated in a toast to the president -- with ginger ale, of course.

Every time the doorbell rang at Felicia Brown's home Tuesday night, her heart skipped a beat.

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies." - President Obama

From this day on, no child born in this country will ever know an America that didn't have a black president.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - From a wind-swept Charleston park to snow-dusted upstate towns, people in the state where the Civil War began watched history Tuesday as Barack Obama became the nation's first black president.

WASHINGTON --- In front of a jubilant crowd of more than a million people, Barack Hussein Obama claimed his place in history as America's first black president, summoning a dispirited nation to unite in hope against the "gathering clouds and raging storms" of war and economic woe.

WASHINGTON --- The Senate swiftly approved six members of President Obama's Cabinet on Tuesday but put off for a day the vote on his choice of Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state.

WASHINGTON --- With one last handshake with President Obama, George W. Bush boarded a helicopter Tuesday at the Capitol and began his post-presidential life.

WASHINGTON --- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, ill with a brain tumor, was hospitalized Tuesday but quickly reported feeling well after suffering a seizure at a post-inauguration luncheon for President Obama.

ATLANTA - As she watched Barack Obama descend the steps of the U.S. Capitol to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, 107-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper leaned forward in her seat and let out a contented sigh.

HAVANA - Cubans expressed hope Tuesday that President Obama's inauguration could bring monumental changes to their island, even if bans on satellite television kept most from witnessing the moment.

WASHINGTON --- From the best seats in the house, Barack Obama's inauguration proved to be a mix of serious reflection and fraternity-like ribbing with a dash of celebrity gazing.

The events of today will bring America one step closer to the dream that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of more than 45 years ago, the keynote speaker at an annual celebration of the civil rights leader's birthday said Monday. Bishop Othal Hawthorne Lakey, sixth district presiding prelate of the CME Church, spoke to about 375 people in the grand ballroom of the Augusta Marriott Hotel and reminded them that President-elect Obama's inauguration is just the beginning.

ATLANTA --- The impending inauguration of the nation's first black president is a huge step toward realizing Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality, but there is still work to be done, Dr. King's nephew told a large crowd Monday at the church where the civil rights leader once preached.

COLUMBIA --- J.W. Hayes leaned against South Carolina's monument to Confederate soldiers Monday and said he couldn't be prouder to be at that exact spot at the Statehouse, honoring the life of civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

As she watched the inauguration today, Carol Bland, 51, recalled sitting in the back of buses and drinking from "colored" water fountains.

WASHINGTON - Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, saying the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

WASHINGTON - Joe Biden, whose foreign policy expertise, Washington savvy and personal style earned him Barack Obama's trust and faith, was sworn in Tuesday as the 47th vice president of the United States.

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts swore in President-elect Barack Obama as president of the United States on Tuesday with a slight stumble over the wording of the oath of office in the first of what could be many important interactions between two men who rose to their positions of power quickly and who have some background similarities, but whose politics differ.

WASHINGTON - With one last handshake to President Barack Obama, George W. Bush boarded a helicopter on Tuesday at the Capitol and began his post-presidential life, closing a two-term administration marked by war, recession and the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

WASHINGTON - First lady Michelle Obama wore a sparkling yellow-gold sheath dress with matching coat by Cuban-born American designer Isabel Toledo for the inauguration of her husband, a choice many applauded as a cheerful message of hope and a vote for the American fashion industry.

WASHINGTON - More than 1 million people crammed onto the National Mall and along the Pennsylvania Avenue inauguration parade route Tuesday to witness the swearing-in of the nation's first black president.

WASHINGTON - Long a shield and sword for African American progress, black churches around the U.S. on Tuesday celebrated the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African American president with praise, songs and jubilation.

WASHINGTON - Like many lobbying firms, BGR Group offered clients and friends a place to come in from the cold Tuesday and watch Barack Obama's inauguration - with a scented twist.

Louis David Edwards is already closer to President-elect Obama than most people. His two children are applying to the school attended by the president-elect's daughters.

Lynwood Holmes has heard it all before.