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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:

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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


The Ten Most Viewed Documents
(since 8/11/11)
#1 Democratic Party Platforms
2008 Democratic Party Platform
#2 Republican Party Platforms
2008 Republican Party Platform
#3 John F. Kennedy
Executive Order 11110 - Amendment of Executive Order No. 10289 as Amended, Relating to the Performance of Certain Functions Affecting the Department of the Treasury
#4 John F. Kennedy
Inaugural Address
#5 Abraham Lincoln
Executive Order
#6 Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1956
#7 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fireside Chat on Banking
#8 Barack Obama
Inaugural Address
#9 Franklin D. Roosevelt
State of the Union Message to Congress
#10 Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1876

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
Length of State of the Union Addresses
The World & Everything In It Gerhard Peters of the American Presidency Project appeared on "The World and Everything In It" Saturday January 21, 2012 to discuss the History of the State of the Union Address.

• link to the "World and Everything In It" website
• link to download postcast MP3
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
Ronald Reagan Today in History
25  years  ago
Ronald Reagan
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

Election Resources
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

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