 The Papers of
the Presidents
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 G.W. Bush (1929-2006)
& Obama (2009)
• The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents:
Carter - G.W. Bush (1977-2009)
• The Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents:
Obama (2009-2012) 
• 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:
search our archives |
|
|
|
 |
| 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 |
|
|
 |
The Ten Most Viewed Documents
(since 8/11/11) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| 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 99,152 documents related to the study of the Presidency. |
|
| American Presidency Project State of the Union Data |
|
 |
|
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 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
25
years ago |
Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger
January 28, 1986 |
| Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss. Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together. For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the fu ...read full document |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| The Document Archive Contains 99,152 Records |
| • Executive Orders |
4842 |
• State of the Union Addresses |
92 |
| • Proclamations |
6008 |
• State of the Union Messages |
138 |
| • Press Conferences |
1974 |
• Inaugural Addresses |
59 |
| • Saturday Radio Addresses |
1332 |
• Addresses to Congress (non-SOU) |
49 |
| • Fireside Chats (FDR) |
27 |
• Addresses to Nation |
245 |
| • Veto Messages |
1141 |
• Addresses to the United Nations |
43 |
| • Radio & TV Correspondents Dinners |
35 |
• Addresses to Foreign Legislatures |
70 |
| • Party Convention Addresses |
36 |
• College Commencement Addresses |
149 |
|
|
