So what is a State of the Union? And when was the first State of the Union given? To answer the first question, a State of the Union is when the President of the United States tells the United States Congress how the nation is doing and what bills
she or he wants to become laws. For these bills to be passed and made into laws, Congress has to vote them in. The President of the United States gives a State of the Union address to Congress every year.
In April 1789, George Washington became our first president, then nine months later, on January 8, 1790, Washington gave the first yearly State of the Union address to Congress. He spoke before Congress in New York City because it had been chosen to be the temporary U.S. capital. He started by telling Congress about the things that were going well in the nation. Then he gave a short outline of the policies that he thought were important for a successful and thriving nation to have. Washington”s national policies and goals required a Federal Post-Office, Post-Roads, and public education as a way to secure the Constitution by educating future generations.
