George W. Bush giving his annual   state of the union address.

Article II, section 3 of the Constitution requires the president from “time to time” to give Congress information about the “state of the Union.” President George W. Bush, in what has become a yearly tradition for presidents, delivered a State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress on February 2nd, 2005. Visit the C-SPAN State of the Union Archive.

In this lesson, analyze the President’s speech, and consider how the State of the Union address today fulfills the Constitutional requirement set down over 220 years ago.

Activities

Perspectives on the 2005 State of the Union    1. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)   2. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) Watch two senators' reactions from the 2005 State of the Union address. What is the President's plan for social security? What are the two sides of the debate?      Before viewing the State of the Union, discuss with students: What might have been the intention of the founders, in the Constitutional requirement that the head of the executive branch address the legislative branch about the state of the Union? What purposes does the President have for his speech in 2005? Consider the current and historical context in which the President is giving this speech. What is his objective in delivering the address? Who is in the audience? What are the symbolic and practical effects of the audience’s presence? What other techniques does the president use in “staging” his address?

Watch the State of the Union Speech

C-SPAN video of the State of the Union .  Discuss with students: How well did the President fulfill the requirements of the Constitution? Use the PDF worksheet, “Analyze a Speech”  to guide your viewing of the State of the Union address. Take note of the staging and the specific policy proposals.