dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

State of the union address

The President “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.” Article II, Section 3, Clause 1.

The constitutionally mandated presidential message has gone through a few name changes:

It was formally known as the Annual Message from 1790 to 1946.
It began to be informally called the "state of the Union" message/address from 1942 to 1946.
Since 1947 it has officially been known as the State of the Union Address.

Earlier Annual Messages of the President included agency budget requests and general reports on the health of the economy. During the 20th century, Congress required more-specialized reports on these two aspects, separate from the Annual Message.

Budget Message, required by the National Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (42 Stat. 20) to be delivered to Congress no more thantwoweeksafter Congress convenes in January.
Economic Report, required by the Employment Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 23), with a flexible delivery date.

Over time, as the message content changed, the focus of the State of the Union also changed:

In the 19th century, the annual message was both a lengthy administrative report on the various departments of the executive branch and a budget and economic message.
After 1913, when Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of presenting the message to Congress in person, it became a platform for the President to rally support for his agenda.
Technological changes—radio, television, and the Internet—further developed the State of the Union into a forum for the President to speak directly to the American people.

State of the Union | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives