MidWeek Mini: The State of the State of the Union

In this week’s Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about the history of the State of the Union Address.

For more than a century, the President of the United States didn’t actually give the State of the Union address.

Not in person. Not with applause. Not with dramatic camera pans and awkward standing ovations.

They mailed it in.

Literally.

The Constitution requires that the president “from time to time” give Congress information about the state of the Union. And the first two presidents — George Washington and John Adams — delivered that update in person. Washington’s first address in 1790 was only about 1,000 words. No theatrics. No guests in the balcony. Just business.

But then came Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson thought delivering the speech in person felt a little too… royal. Too much like the British monarch delivering the Speech from the Throne. And America had just fought a whole war about not doing that.

So in 1801, instead of showing up to Congress to speak, Jefferson sent a written message. A clerk read it aloud. No president set foot in the chamber.

And that became the norm.

For 112 years.

From 1801 until 1913, presidents simply sent their annual message in writing. It was published in newspapers. Lawmakers read it on paper. There were no applause breaks because no one was there to clap. There were no viral moments because there were no cameras. It was less “prime-time television event” and more “PDF attachment.”

It wasn’t even called the State of the Union address at first. For most of American history it was just the president’s “Annual Message to Congress,” and only in the 1940s did the phrase State of the Union become the common — and then official — name we use now.

Then in 1913, Woodrow Wilson decided it was time to bring it back. Wilson believed speaking directly to Congress would strengthen the presidency and help push legislation. So he walked into the chamber and delivered the address himself.

It shocked some people. Critics said it felt theatrical. Too showy. Too powerful.

Sound familiar?

Today the State of the Union is one of the most choreographed political events in the country. There are standing ovations carefully planned in advance. Guests are strategically invited to sit in the balcony. Every facial expression becomes a headline.

But for more than a century, it was just ink on paper.

The most traditional political speech in America — the one that feels like it has always been done this way — is actually the newer version.

And the quieter, less dramatic, “just send a memo” version?

That lasted longer. I don’t know about you, but I’m okay with going back to sending a memo.

The internet says it’s true.