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The Papers of
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The American Presidency Project is the only online resource that has consolidated, coded, and organized into a single searchable database:
 • The Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Washington - Taft (1789-1913)
 • The Public Papers of the Presidents:
Hoover to Bush (1929-1993)
 • The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents:
Clinton - Obama (1993-2009)

• Our archives also contain thousands of other documents such as party platforms, candidates' remarks, Statements of Administration Policy, documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary, and election debates:

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State of the Union Addresses
Noteworthy State of the Union Addresses from the APP's complete archive:
"The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." 
George W. Bush - January 28, 2003
"The era of big Government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves." 
William J. Clinton - January 23, 1996
"President Washington began this tradition in 1790 after reminding the Nation that the destiny of self-government and the "preservation of the sacred fire of liberty" is "finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." For our friends in the press, who place a high premium on accuracy, let me say: I did not actually hear George Washington say that. [Laughter]" 
Ronald Reagan - January 26, 1982
"Today, that freshman Member from Michigan stands where Mr. Truman stood, and I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work..." 
Gerald Ford - January 15, 1975
"I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough." 
Richard Nixon - January 30, 1974
"We must spare no effort to raise the general level of health in this country. In a nation as rich as ours, it is a shocking fact that tens of millions lack adequate medical care." 
Harry S. Truman - January 5, 1949
"In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms." 
Franklin D. Roosevelt - January 6, 1941
obama state of the union


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The American Presidency Project (americanpresidency.org), was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Our archives contain 87,619 documents related to the study of the Presidency.
American Presidency Project State of the Union Data

Has Any President Ever Criticized the Supreme Court During an Oral State of the Union Address?
Yes. Presidents have mentioned the “Supreme Court” in 10 SOTUs, nine of them oral. Two more referred to the “judicial branch” (also all oral). Five more mention “the judiciary” ( all oral), some in the same speech using “the Supreme Court. Several of these have called for legislation to address a law that has been invalidated by the Supreme Court (Harding, Eisenhower, Carter). Roosevelt explicitly criticized the Supreme Court as did Reagan.

Harding 1922Coolidge 1923 | Roosevelt 1937 | Eisenhower 1953 | Reagan 1988 | Obama 2010

Gerhard Peters of the American Presidency Project appeared on Minnesota Public Radio's call-in discussion program, "Midmorning" hosted by Kerri Miller on January 28, 2010 to discuss President Obama's 2010 State of the Union Address.        link to Midmorning's website
Minnesota Public Radio
State of the Union: Presidential Rhetoric from
Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush

with an introduction by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley is the first comprehensive reference volume published in over four decades devoted to the president's Annual Message to Congress.

published by CQ Press
State of the Union

Obama in Action: 320 Days
An American Presidency Project Exclusive Analysis

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
In this series, APP compares Obama to other modern presidents who assumed the office following an administration of the other party. So the comparison group includes FDR, Eisenhower, JFK, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and G.W. Bush.
OIA I - Feb. 7 OIA V - Mar. 21
OIA II - Feb. 17 OIA VI - Apr. 5
OIA III - Feb. 25 OIA VII - Apr. 18
OIA IV - Mar. 11 OIA VIII - Apr. 30
OIA 320 - Dec. 6
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by John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters
© The American Presidency Project

SANTA BARBARA - December 5, 2009 was President Obama’s 320th day in office. As of that date, health care reform had passed the House and was being debated in the Senate. The White House had announced a new ambitious target for reducing carbon emissions. Serious debate was underway about reform of financial institutions regulation. In the first week of December, the President delivered a nationally televised prime-time address from West Point to announce his decision to commit 30,000 new troops in Afghanistan, hosted a White House forum on job creation, and visited metalworkers in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, news attention to Iraq has dropped a level not seen since 20021 and both military and civilian deaths in Iraq reached the lowest levels since the US 2003 invasion.2

continued on next page...

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Franklin D. Roosevelt Today in History
77  years  ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fireside Chat on Banking
March 12, 1933
I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking—with the comparatively few who understand the mechanics of banking but more particularly with the overwhelming majority who use banks for the making of deposits and the drawing of checks. I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be. I recognize that the many proclamations from State capitols and from Washington, the legislation, the Treasury regulations, etc., couched for the most part in banking and legal terms, should be explained for the benefit of the average citizen. I owe this in particular because of the fortitude and good temper with which everybody has accepted the inconvenience and hardships of the banking holiday. I know that when you understand what we in Washington have been about I shall continue to have your cooperation as fully as I have had your sympathy and help during the past week.

First of all, let me state t ...read full document

Election Resources
The Document Archive Contains 87,619 Records
• Executive Orders 4773 • State of the Union Addresses 91
• Proclamations 5717 • State of the Union Messages 137
• Press Conferences 1934 • Inaugural Addresses 59
• Saturday Radio Addresses 1243 • Addresses to Congress (non-SOU) 48
• Fireside Chats (FDR) 27 • Addresses to Nation 239
• Veto Messages 1140 • Addresses to the United Nations 41
• Radio & TV Correspondents Dinners 33 • Addresses to Foreign Legislatures 67
• Party Convention Addresses 36 • College Commencement Addresses 142

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