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CNN’s State of the Union quiz: How well do you know the history of the yearly presidential address?
Is the president required to give an annual State of the Union address?
The Constitution requires that 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.” But it does not require a speech, and it does not require that a “State of the Union” be given each year.
Early State of the Union reports were frequently delivered in writing. Also, when presidents address Congress during their first year in office, usually not long after their inauguration, it is frequently called an address to a joint session of Congress rather than a State of the Union address.
Which president delivered the first televised State of the Union speech?
Truman’s 1947 address was the first to be televised. Eighteen years later, Lyndon B. Johnson would begin the tradition of delivering the address in prime time.
What event led to the first postponement of a State of the Union address?
The explosion of NASA’s Challenger shuttle on January 28, 1986, killed all seven crew members onboard and shook the American public. President Ronald Reagan had been scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address the evening of the disaster, but he decided to postpone the speech.
For more than 100 years, beginning with President Thomas Jefferson, the State of the Union was delivered by the White House to Congress as a written report. Which president restarted the tradition of delivering an annual speech to lawmakers?
Wilson was trying to bring the president closer to the public when he decided to restart the tradition of delivering the State of the Union as a speech rather than as a written report.
Which president was first to call his annual speech to Congress a “State of the Union” address?
Roosevelt was the first president to refer to the annual address to Congress as the “State of the Union.” That name didn’t become official, though, until 1947 under Truman.
Which president has delivered the shortest State of the Union address to date?
Washington‘s 1790 address was only 833 words and is believed to have lasted less than 10 minutes.
What’s the term for a guest mentioned by the president during a State of the Union address?
The first time a president is thought to have used a guest as a part of his speech came in 1982, when Ronald Reagan recognized Lenny Skutnik, a hero who jumped into the Potomac River to help rescue survivors of an airplane crash. Recognizing extraordinary Americans at the State of the Union address is now a common occurrence.
Which pair of presidents never delivered State of the Union addresses?
Both Harrison and Garfield died in office before they had a chance to deliver a State of the Union address. Harrison died from disease, while Garfield was assassinated.
In what decade was the “designated survivor” role introduced?
Every year, the administration appoints one member of the Cabinet to remain outside the House chamber during the State of the Union in case disaster strikes. This role of designated survivor began during the Cold War in the 1960s alongside concerns of a nuclear attack. Former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh served as the designated survivor last year.
In what year did the response to the State of the Union start?
The practice of a rebuttal speech to the State of the Union began in 1966. When the president is a Republican, the response is given by a Democrat, and vice versa.
