The State of the Union

What is it?

The president’s agenda-setting speech given to a Joint Session of Congress

Happens in January, after Congress returns from Christmas Break

The president first assesses where we are as a nation, then lays out the path he would like us to take in the year ahead

Sort of a National New Years Resolution

Usually it’s the most important political speech of the year.

1787: Article II Section 3 of the Constitution states, “He [the president] shall from time to time give Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall deem necessary and expedient.”

1790: President George Washington delivers the first “annual message of the president”

1801: Thomas Jefferson, believing the tradition of speaking to Congress was too “royal,” sends his annual message in a letter. The written tradition continues for over a century.

1823: President James Monroe sends a letter to Congress which outlines the Monroe Doctrine opposing European intervention in the Americas.

1862: As Civil War battles rage, Abraham Lincoln sends his famous “last best hope” annual message to Congress.

…we cannot escape history. … We know how to save the Union. … We … hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- … We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. … The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.

1913: Woodrow Wilson revives the tradition of delivering the annual message in a speech to Congress

1945: Franklin Roosevelt’s speech formally becomes known as “The State of the Union”

1965: As the power of TV becomes increasingly clear, Lyndon Johnson shifts the State of the Union address from midday to evening to attract a larger audience

1986: The State of the Union is postponed for the first time after the space shuttle Challenger explodes the morning of the scheduled address

1999: President Clinton delivers a State of the Union address to a House of Representatives that has just impeached him and a Senate considering his removal from office.

2002: In the first State of the Union address after September 11, 2001, President Bush introduces his famous/infamous “axis of evil” (Iraq, Iran & North Korea)

Random things about the State of the Union Ms. Bridges finds funny…. Democrats and Republicans sit on

opposite sides of the room, so watching who applauds for what, especially if we are talking standing ovation, can be interesting

The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Supreme Court Justices sit in the front. Since these positions are supposed to be “above politics,” what they clap and don’t clap for can also be interesting

Random things about the State of the Union Ms. Bridges finds funny…. Since gathering all the important political

figures in one room makes a great target for a terrorist attack, one member of the president’s cabinet is picked to stay behind in a secure location…. just in case. They are known as the “designated survivor”. How creepy is that?!

What the First Lady wears is always the focus of a bizarre amount of attention.

Random things about the State of the Union Ms. Bridges finds funny…. Recent presidents have invited a guest

of honor they want to highlight in their speech. This person is seated with the First Lady. The selections are random – one time it was the woman who started the Baby Einstein company??

The Sergeant at Arms announcement of the President’s arrival…. Come on … it’s a least a little bit funny

Random things about the State of the Union Ms. Bridges finds funny…. Inevitably important political

figures sigh, nap, roll their eyes, text, or emphatically shake their heads “no”. This is, of course, always caught on camera.

Homework for the Rest of Your Life: Vote!

When: The first Tuesday in November Reminder: When you start to make your

Thanksgiving plans, it’s time to think about voting

Watch the State of the Union When: 2nd or 3rd Week in January Reminder: When people start talking

about the Super Bowl, it’s time to listen for the date