The State of the Union Address
—Chrissie

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            The United States constitution calls for a formal message from the President to Congress in Article II, Section 3. It says, “He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” The first of these was delivered to a joint session of Congress by George Washington in 1790 in the temporary capitol in New York. He interpreted “from time to time” as meaning annually, thus creating that element. He and his successor delivered all of their addresses in person.

Thomas Jefferson broke with this tradition by sending a written statement which was then read into the record by a clerk. He claimed the in-person speech was too similar to a monarchical speech from the throne. This was the standard until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson delivered his address in person. Since then, the “information of the State of the Union” has been given directly by a President to a joint session of Congress. Oddly, considering that the term “State of the Union” is used in the constitutional directive, it was not given that title until Franklin Roosevelt started calling it that in 1934.

            The in-person nature of the speech means that it is one of the rare circumstances when most of the members of the Federal government are in one place, necessitating a special precaution, the Designated Survivor. A member of the President’s cabinet is chosen to stay away from the Capitol in case there is an attack that disables or kills everyone else in the presidential line of succession, thereby maintaining continuity of governance in this unthinkable emergency.

             Until the early twentieth century, the message was a practical document, discussing economic issues and the budget of the Executive Branch, as well as any suggestions for legislation the President wishes to provide. It was not something of interest to the general public and it was not a partisan political statement. With Wilson’s 1913 speech returning it to a directly delivered speech, it became more about the successes and plans of the current administration and its party than a simple report of information. It was first broadcast on radio across the country in 1923 and first broadcast on television in 1947. It had become a public event, not a simple report from the executive to the legislature. The necessary information called for the in Constitution is now provided in a separate report, while the speech focuses on particular issues which the president wishes to emphasize to the public. They will highlight the successes of their administration and encourage support for future plans.

            In 1965, Lynden Johnson was the first to give the speech on television in the evening, making it part of prime time, when Americans were accustomed to watching television anyway. Beginning in the next year, a televised response has been given by a prominent member of the opposition party. In recent years, because people are no longer limited to the major television networks to present their speech, people from smaller parties and specific political groups also give responses.