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Revision as of 16:04, 7 November 2002 by Ram-Man (talk | contribs) (format)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The State of the Union Address is the annual event where the President of the United States of America normally speaks to a joint session of Congress (the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate), about the status of the country.
The requirement for the address is written into the U.S. Constitution: "The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Article II, Section 3.
The first address was made by George Washington on January 8, 1790. The manner of the address has changed over time, between 1801 and 1913 the address was written and then sent to Congress rather than being spoken by the President. The speech to both houses was revived by Woodrow Wilson, to some initial controversy.
Calvin Coolidge's 1923 speech was the first broadcast on radio. While the actual term "State of the Union" did not become widely used until after 1935 when Franklin Roosevelt began using the phrase. Harry S. Truman's 1947 address was the first to be broadcast on television.
The State of the Union Address for the year 2002 can be read here in its entirety.