President Washington made such a speech for the first time in his "Annual Message" on January 8, 179.
The third President Jefferson abolished the ornate arrangement of making a speech to Congress, calling such a speech "a speech from the throne of the emperor". He switched to writing to convey information to Congress, which lasted for more than a century.
President Wilson began to adopt the practice that the president himself addressed the Congress. He said: "The president's ability to read his own information may be stronger than that of the general staff."
in p>1945, the annual message was officially called the State of the Union address.
President Johnson changed the time of his State of the Union address from noon to evening to attract more TV viewers.
Because the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, the State of the Union address was postponed for the first time.
A few days after the sex scandal involving Clinton and White House intern Lewinsky was revealed, President Clinton delivered his 1998 State of the Union address to Congress. The following year, he became the first president to deliver a State of the Union address to Congress, which was considering whether to impeach him.
This year, President Bush used his White House website to provide Americans with behind-the-scenes information about his State of the Union address, and the website also provided video materials to discuss the cabinet talks in the State of the Union address speech.
More history:
The tradition of delivering the State of the Union address can be traced back to 179. That year, George Washington, the first president of the United States, published a report called "Annual Message" at that time as required by the Constitution. Section 3 of Article 2 of the Constitution stipulates that the President "shall report the national conditions to the National Assembly from time to time, and submit the programs he considers necessary and appropriate to the National Assembly for deliberation". Historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr wrote in his book "The State of the Union Messages of the Presidents" that this "ordinary writing aimed at the American president has become a basic means for the president to control the relationship with Congress and a powerful way to play a leading role in the country" with the changes of the times.
Washington and his successor, john adams, delivered their State of the Union address in person through grand ceremonies in the way that they did during the reign of the British king before independence. However, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, felt that this excessive ostentation and extravagance was not commensurate with the new democracy and country. He sarcastically called this practice a "speech from the throne" and replaced the personal speech with a written address. Jefferson's influence was so great that for more than 1 years, the annual address was sent to Congress in writing instead of being read by the president.
In the first few decades, the State of the Union address was mostly a long list of bills that the President wanted the Congress to pass, which usually reflected the main theme of the times and the practical problems encountered in the process of building a young country. Until the Civil War (1861-1865), the State of the Union address often involved internal threats to the Federation, which was a major concern of the founding fathers. Wayne Fields wrote in his influential book "Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence" that during this period, the annual report "of course mainly focused on how fragile federal relations are".
In addition, the annual report also covers the international situation and the position of the United States in the world, especially in the western hemisphere. A prominent example is President james monroe's annual address to Congress in 1823 against European interference in American affairs. In his State of the Union address, Monroe wrote directly against the European powers: "Therefore, out of sincerity and in line with the existing harmonious relationship between the United States and the powers, we must declare that we will regard any attempt by the powers to extend their system to any part of the hemisphere as a threat to our peace and security." In the following decades, successive presidents often cited Monroe Doctrine to show the determination of the United States to make this hemisphere the master of its own destiny.
During the great turmoil, some presidents used the State of the Union address to explain their views on issues of great interest at that time and the future direction. Their speeches are aimed not only at members of parliament, but also at all the people, the whole world and sometimes even the historical era. In the civil war, which poses the greatest threat to the life and death of the country, President abraham lincoln wrote perhaps the most eloquent and unforgettable annual address of all presidents.
when president Lincoln delivered his state of the union address on December 1, 1862, the national conditions were obviously not good, the civil war was still difficult to win or lose, and the failure of the confederate rebels was far from a foregone conclusion. However, Lincoln shouldered the heavy responsibility entrusted by the times. With his typical style, he went straight to the core of the struggle that was sweeping the whole country, and explained to all the American people and the whole world the fundamental choice that people had to make. He wrote:
"The creed of the quiet old days is no longer applicable to the earth-shaking today. Today's situation is full of dangers, and we must shoulder the historical mission. Facing the unprecedented situation, we must have new thinking and new actions. We must liberate ourselves and then save the country. Fellow citizens, we can't escape from history. We, this Congress and this government, will inevitably go down in history. " He went on to write: "To give freedom to slaves is to guarantee the freedom of free people-what we give and keep is equally aboveboard. We will either save nobly or mean to lose the last ray of the best hope in the world. Other means may succeed. But this means will not fail. This road is clear, peaceful, generous and just. Following it will surely win the eternal appreciation of the world and the eternal blessing of God. " Historian Arthur Schlesinger wrote that this was "the pinnacle of all the most eloquent annual addresses ... profound and brilliant".
In p>1913, Woodrow Wilson resumed the practice of the President delivering the State of the Union address in person, which was initiated by Washington and Adams more than 1 years ago. He quipped, "It's probably much better for the president to read his State of the Union address than for a clerk.". The two-term president, who is famous for advocating the League of Nations, the predecessor organization of the United Nations, took this opportunity to deliver a speech on a wide range of topics, mainly focusing on domestic policies. Wilson's decision to read the State of the Union address himself was prescient. At that time, the United States was on the eve of the electronic mass media revolution, and soon, radio and television after World War II brought the president into the home of the American people. Although most Americans didn't hear Wilson's voice, his image became a household name through silent newsreels.
With franklin delano roosevelt being elected president in 1932, Americans will get used to hearing the president's voice on the radio and seeing-and hearing-the president in news films. Roosevelt's annual address in 1941 was one of his most enduring speeches. Facing the raging war in Europe, Roosevelt put forward the famous four freedoms. He said: "We pursued a secure future, and at that time we looked forward to a world based on the four cardinal freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression in the world. The second is that everyone in the world has the freedom to worship God in his own way. The third is universal ... freedom from want. The fourth item is universal ... freedom without fear. " After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 of the same year, Roosevelt made a speech at the special joint meeting of the two houses of Congress, demanding a declaration of war on Japan.
in p>1945, the annual address was officially called the State of the Union address. With the sharp increase in TV and radio sales after World War II, the State of the Union address will soon become a fixed content not only for radio but also for television. President lyndon johnson realized the great effectiveness of television in conveying the presidential message to the general public, so he changed the State of the Union address, which had always been delivered at noon, to be delivered at high viewing hours on TV in the evening.
Johnson said in his first State of the Union address that year: "Now, in 1965, our country began a new exploration." He elaborated in detail the domestic reform program called "Great Society", that is, a society that eliminates poverty and protects the civil rights of all Americans. Although most historians don't think his speech is eloquent, it reflects Johnson's comprehensive conception and the liberal atmosphere that dominated American society at that time. His speech inherited the progressive ideas of the American generation-from Roosevelt's "New Deal" in the early 193s to John F Kennedy's "New Frontier" in the early 196s.
Ronald Reagan's first State of the Union address in 1982 pointed out a very different direction. In this speech, Reagan elaborated on the unquestionable conservative policy, which not only guided internal affairs, but also dominated foreign affairs. He said: "Today, after the state and local community voters have been deprived of their rights for a total of 5 years, we are beginning to return these rights and resources to them." Reagan made a new interpretation of the limited power of the federal government in the American political system, which had a far-reaching impact. Even President Bill Clinton, whose views are quite different from Reagan's, famously said in his State of the Union address: "The era of big government is gone forever."
Although Reagan devoted most of his 1982 State of the Union address to domestic policies, he did not neglect foreign relations, especially the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. He said: "In the past 1 years, although we have tried to reconcile Soviet forces through restraint and accommodation policies, the Soviets have relentlessly strengthened their military strength. In order to safeguard national security, we must launch a major plan to strengthen our military strength. " He went on to say, "Recognizing the essence of the Soviet Empire is a starting point".
Political observers believe that the televised broadcast of the State of the Union address, especially when it is moved to prime-time broadcast in the evening, has changed the fundamental nature of the State of the Union address. Paul C. Light, a well-known political scientist at the Brookings Institution, said: "With the expansion of the audience from the Washington Ring Road to the outside of the ring road, the State of the Union address has evolved from an often empty policy speech to a major lobbying propaganda. It can be said that the main audience of the State of the Union address is now American voters and a wider overseas audience, rather than US congressmen."