The American Presidency Project

The Papers of
the Presidents
The American Presidency Project is the only online resource that has consolidated, coded, and organized into a single searchable database:
• The Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Washington - Taft (1789-1913)
• The Public Papers of the Presidents:
Hoover to G.W. Bush (1929-2007)
& Obama (2009)
• The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents:
Carter - G.W. Bush (1977-2009)
• The Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents:
Obama (2009-2012)

• Our archives also contain thousands of other documents such as party platforms, candidates' remarks, Statements of Administration Policy, documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary, and election debates:

search our archives

Noteworthy State of the Union Addresses from the APP's complete archive:

"The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

George W. Bush - January 28, 2003

"The era of big Government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves."

William J. Clinton - January 23, 1996

"President Washington began this tradition in 1790 after reminding the Nation that the destiny of self-government and the "preservation of the sacred fire of liberty" is "finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." For our friends in the press, who place a high premium on accuracy, let me say: I did not actually hear George Washington say that. [Laughter]"

Ronald Reagan - January 26, 1982

"Today, that freshman Member from Michigan stands where Mr. Truman stood, and I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work..."

Gerald Ford - January 15, 1975

"I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough."

Richard Nixon - January 30, 1974

"We must spare no effort to raise the general level of health in this country. In a nation as rich as ours, it is a shocking fact that tens of millions lack adequate medical care."

Harry S. Truman - January 5, 1949

"In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms."

Franklin D. Roosevelt - January 6, 1941

see all State of the Union Addresses
2012 State of the Union Address

The Ten Most Viewed Documents
(since 8/1/12)

#1	Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1956

#2	John F. Kennedy
Executive Order 10990

#3	Democratic Party Platforms
2012 Democratic Party Platform

#4	Democratic Party Platforms
2008 Democratic Party Platform

#5	Republican Party Platforms
2012 Republican Party Platform

#6	Republican Party Platforms
2008 Republican Party Platform

#7	Lyndon B. Johnson
Remarks at the Signing of the Coinage Act

#8	Barack Obama
Executive Order 13603 - National Defense Resources Preparedness

#9	John F. Kennedy
Inaugural Address

#10	Republican Party Platforms
Republican Party Platform of 1980

The American Presidency Project (americanpresidency.org), was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Our archives contain 102,267 documents related to the study of the Presidency.

How President Obama Compares to Other Incumbents: Key Data

Presidential Job Approval (August 17, 2012 Update)
Winning Reelection including Obama	Losing Reelection including Obama

click to enlarge	click to enlarge

Economic Growth: change over quarter one year earlier first term and two prior years (Update: July 27, 2012 - Quarter II reported and Q III & IV Estimate)
Winning Reelection including Obama	Losing Reelection including Obama

click to enlarge	click to enlarge

The Post-Convention Bounce in Voters' Preference

	Democratic			Republican
Year	Convention	Nominee	Bounce %	Convention	Nominee	Bounce %
2012*	Sept. 3-6	Barack Obama	2	Aug. 27-30	Mitt Romney	-1
2008*	Aug. 25-28	Barack Obama	4	Sept. 1-4	John McCain	6
2004	July 26-29	John Kerry	-1	Aug 30-Sep 2	George W. Bush	2
2000	Aug. 14-17	Al Gore	8	Jul 31-Aug 3	George W. Bush	8
1996	Aug. 26-29	Bill Clinton	5	Aug. 12-15	Bob Dole	3
1992	July 13-16	Bill Clinton	16	Aug. 17-20	George Bush	5
1988	July 18-21	Mike Dukakis	7	Aug. 15-18	George Bush	6
1984	July 16-19	Walter Mondale	9	Aug. 20-23	Ronald Reagan	4
1980	Aug. 11-14	Jimmy Carter	10	July 14-17	Ronald Reagan	8
1976	July 12-15	Jimmy Carter	9	Aug. 16-19	Gerald Ford	5
1972	July 10-13	George McGovern	0	Aug. 21-23	Richard Nixon	7
1968	Aug. 26-29	Hubert Humphrey	2	Aug. 5-8	Richard Nixon	5
1964	Aug. 24-27	Lyndon Johnson	3	July 13-16	Barry Goldwater	5

*2008-2012: Determined by the APP by using poll ending on the Sunday before the convention and poll ending on the Sunday after the convention. 2012 margin of error is ±2%.
data compiled from the Gallup Poll

11 years ago

Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the United States Response to the Terrorist Attacks of September 11
September 20, 2001

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, Members of Congress, and fellow Americans:

In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this Chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground, passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight. [Applause]

We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last 9 days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Union, and it is strong.

Tonight we are ...read full document

The Document Archive Contains 102,267 Records
• Executive Orders	4871	• State of the Union Addresses	92
• Proclamations	6100	• State of the Union Messages	138
• Press Conferences	1983	• Inaugural Addresses	56
• Saturday Radio Addresses	1364	• Addresses to Congress (non-SOU)	50
• Fireside Chats (FDR)	27	• Addresses to Nation	247
• Veto Messages	1141	• Addresses to the United Nations	43
• Radio & TV Correspondents Dinners	36	• Addresses to Foreign Legislatures	70
• Party Convention Addresses	34	• College Commencement Addresses	152

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