Name: __________________________________
Date: _________________
Class: ________
THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT
Background, Activities and Critical Analysis
Adapted from a lesson by Stephanie Schragger
The purpose of this lesson is to teach you about the history and purpose of the State of the Union address, and to help
you learn how to evaluate a speech.
Have you ever watched a State of the Union on television?
YES
or
NO
Summary: As chief executive, the president helps guide policy by proposing the creation of laws. The president can
use this speech to explain his ideas to Congress and to encourage Congress to pass certain pieces of legislation. The
president can propose new initiatives, and he also uses the State of the Union to speak directly to the American people.
He can try to gain public support for new programs.
Examine the history of the State of the Union speech (see the important dates below). The speech has become more
important due to mass media. All of the major networks broadcast the State of the Union address.
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The State of the Union: Important Dates
1790: President George Washington delivers the first "annual message of the president."
1801: Thomas Jefferson, believing the tradition of speaking to Congress is too "royal," sends his annual
message in a letter. The written tradition continues for over a century.
1823: President James Monroe sends a letter to Congress which outlines the Monroe Doctrine opposing
European intervention in the Americas.
1862: As Civil War battles rage, Abraham Lincoln sends his famous "last best hope" annual message to
Congress.
1913: Woodrow Wilson revives the tradition of delivering the annual message in a speech to Congress.
1945: Franklin Roosevelt's speech formally becomes known as "The State of the Union."
1965: As the power of television becomes increasingly clear, Lyndon Johnson shifts the State of the Union
address from midday to evening to attract a larger audience.
1986: The State of the Union is postponed for the first time after the space shuttle Challenger explodes the
morning of the scheduled address.
1999: President Clinton delivers a State of the Union to a House of Representatives that has impeached him
and a Senate considering his removal.
2002: President George W. Bush singles out Iraq, Iran and North Korea for pursuing weapons of mass
destruction, calling them "an axis of evil" that could attack U.S. allies or blackmail America.
A. Who writes the speech for the President?
B. What elements make a speech successful? Content, rhetoric, style of delivery, tone of voice, coherence, etc…
C. What do you think makes a speech easy to understand and interesting?
Extra Credit Assignment: Fill out the worksheet on the State of the Union address. The first part of the worksheet
should be completed before viewing the speech, while the rest of the worksheet will be filled out after the speech.
If you have trouble predicting topics the President may discus, I suggest issues such as taxes, Social Security,
education, the war on terrorism, the environment, the economy, welfare, health care, energy, immigration, etc.
Assessment: Student understanding will be assessed through accurate completion of worksheet and analysis of the
State of the Union address.
State of the Union Address Worksheet
Please answer in complete sentences.
1. What is the purpose of the State of the Union address?
2. When was the first annual presidential message?
3. When did this annual message become known as the State of the Union address?
4. When was the State of the Union first broadcast on television at night?
5. Before watching the State of the Union, predict what topics the President will talk about. Watch the speech and
see how many you got right.
State of the Union: Topics Chart
Topics you expect the
President to bring up:
Why?
Was the topic
mentioned?
1
Y or N
2
Y or N
3
Y or N
4
Y or N
5
Y or N
6
Y or N
7
Y or N
8
Y or N
9
Y or N
10
Y or N
6. Choose 5 topics that the President discusses and complete the chart below and rate the president's arguments.
State of the Union: Assessing the Speech
List the topics &
plans outlined by
the President.
Rate 1 - 5, how
persuasive was the
president's argument?
Do you agree with the argument?
Why or why not?
(1=not at all, 5=very persuasive)
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
7. How would you describe the President's style? Circle all of the following words that apply.
Passionate
Repetitive
Annoying
Inspirational
Well-worded
Interesting
Boring
Aggressive
Sophisticated
Energetic
Patriotic
Other descriptions:
8. Did the President recognize any individual people during the speech? Who? Why?
9. How would YOU rate the speech? (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent) Why?
Do not base your answer on whether you like the President or not!
NewsHour Extra: www.pbs.org/newshour/extra