Title:  State of the Union Addresses of Ronald Reagan

Author:  Ronald Reagan

Release Date:  February, 2004 [EBook #5046] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 11, 2002] [Date last updated:  December 16, 2004]

Edition:  11

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK of addresses by Ronald Reagan ***

This eBook was produced by James Linden.

The addresses are separated by three asterisks:  ***

Dates of addresses by Ronald Reagan in this eBook: 
  January 26, 1982
  January 25, 1983
  January 25, 1984
  February 6, 1985
  February 4, 1986
  January 27, 1987
  January 25, 1988

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State of the Union Address
Ronald Reagan
January 26, 1982

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, distinguished Members of the Congress, honored guests, and fellow citizens: 

Today marks my first State of the Union address to you, a constitutional duty as old as our Republic itself.

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.  But it is a matter of historic record.

But from this podium, Winston Churchill asked the free world to stand together against the onslaught of aggression.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke of a day of infamy and summoned a nation to arms.  Douglas MacArthur made an unforgettable farewell to a country he loved and served so well.  Dwight Eisenhower reminded us that peace was purchased only at the price of strength.  And John F. Kennedy spoke of the burden and glory that is freedom.

When I visited this Chamber last year as a newcomer to Washington, critical of past policies which I believed had failed, I proposed a new spirit of partnership between this Congress and this administration and between Washington and our State and local governments.  In forging this new partnership for America, we could achieve the oldest hopes of our Republic—­prosperity for our nation, peace for the world, and the blessings of individual liberty for our children and, someday, for all of humanity.

It’s my duty to report to you tonight on the progress that we have made in our relations with other nations, on the foundation we’ve carefully laid for our economic recovery, and finally, on a bold and spirited initiative that I believe can change the face of American government and make it again the servant of the people.