History Of The State Of The Union
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The State of the Union has become a yearly pomp and circumstance show. There is clapping, fans, constant television coverage, even a drinking game associated with the event. Everyone from journalists to political junkies to history teachers think they know everything about the State of the Union. How much do you know?
- 1.What year was the first state of the Union address held?
- A.
1789
- B.
1790
- C.
1801
- D.
1776
- 2.Which President gave the first televised State of the Union address?
- A.
Harry Truman
- B.
Franklin Roosevelt
- C.
John F. Kennedy
- D.
Dwight Eisenhower
- 3.Who was the first President not to give a speech and instead wrote down an annual message and sent it to Congress?
- A.
George Washington
- B.
Abraham Lincoln
- C.
James Madison
- D.
Thomas Jefferson
- 4.Which President used his State of the Union address to pronounce that the "era of big government" was over?
- A.
Ronald Reagan
- B.
Richard Nixon
- C.
John F. Kennedy
- D.
Bill Clinton
- 5.Why did Ronald Reagan postpone his State of the Union address in 1986?
- A.
The new episode of "Lost" was premiering.
- B.
An emergency meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev was scheduled.
- C.
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.
- D.
A hurricane off the Atlantic coast.
- 6.Which President's State of the Union address was the longest?
- A.
John F. Kennedy
- B.
Abraham Lincoln
- C.
Harry Truman
- D.
Richard Nixon
- 7.Which President's State of the Union address was the shortest?
- A.
George Washington
- B.
Jimmy Carter
- C.
George W. Bush
- D.
Calvin Coolidge
- 8.Which president was the first to give his State of the Union address at night?
- A.
Lyndon Johnson
- B.
Jimmy Carter
- C.
John F. Kennedy
- D.
Harry Truman
- 9.Who was the first President to feature personal guests and recognize them over the course of his speech?
- A.
Richard Nixon
- B.
George H.W. Bush
- C.
Bill Clinton
- D.
Ronald Reagan
- 10.In what year did the practice of televising a rebuttal by a member of the opposing political party begin?
- A.
1986
- B.
1991
- C.
1966
- D.
1972
- 11.Who labeled the oral tradition of addressing Congress as the "State of the Union"?
- A.
George Washington
- B.
Franklin Roosevelt
- C.
George Orwell
- D.
Theodore Roosevelt
- 12.After President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union this Democrat gave a rebuttal in Spanish.
- A.
Joe Baca
- B.
Sonia Sotomayor
- C.
Antonio Villaraigosa
- D.
Ron Gonzalez
- 13.All members of the President's cabinet are required to attend the State of the Union address.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 14.Who was the most recent President to submit his State of the Union in written form and in what year?
- A.
Richard Nixon, 1972
- B.
Jimmy Carter, 1981
- C.
Franklin Roosevelt, 1941
- D.
Gerald Ford 1976
- 15.In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt in his State of the Union declared his support for what "four freedoms" around the world?
- A.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear
- B.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly
- C.
Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom from tyranny, and freedom of government
- D.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny, and freedom from fear
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