1955 State of the Union Address

Last updated
1955 State of the Union Address
DateJanuary 6, 1955 (1955-01-06)
Time12:30 p.m. EST [1] [2]
Duration53 minutes [3]
VenueHouse Chamber, United States Capitol
Location Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°53′23″N77°00′32″W / 38.88972°N 77.00889°W / 38.88972; -77.00889
Type State of the Union Address
Participants Dwight D. Eisenhower
Richard Nixon
Sam Rayburn
Previous 1954 State of the Union Address
Next 1956 State of the Union Address

The 1955 State of the Union Address was given by the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, on Thursday, January 6, 1955, to the 84th United States Congress. He said, "Every citizen wants to give full expression to his God-given talents and abilities and to have the recognition and respect accorded under our religious and political traditions." [4] He also said, "To protect our nations and our peoples from the catastrophe of a "nuclear holocaust", free nations must maintain countervailing military power to persuade the Communists of the futility of seeking their ends through aggression." He is referring to what seemed to be the high likelihood of nuclear warfare of the time. He ended with, "And so, I know with all my heart--and I deeply believe that all Americans know--that, despite the anxieties of this divided world, our faith, and the cause in which we all believe, will surely prevail." This address was given in his first term (1953-1957), in Washington, D.C.

Contents

This State of the Union Address was Eisenhower's longest in terms of word count at 7,250 words for a spoken address (though his written 1956 address was longer), [5] but it was his second longest in terms of length of delivery, clocking in at 53 minutes [3] while his first State of the Union Address, mostly due to frequent applause, clocked in at 56 minutes. [6] At the end of his speech, Eisenhower apologized for its length, stating, "And now my friends, my apologies for the length of this address," and little later in the recording he is again heard saying, "Sorry to keep you so long!" to someone in the background. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight D. Eisenhower</span> World War II general, U.S. president (1953 to 1961)

Dwight David Eisenhower was an American general and statesman who was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and achieved the five-star rank as General of the Army. Eisenhower planned and supervised two of the most consequential military campaigns of World War II: Operation Torch in the North Africa campaign in 1942–1943 and the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

The expression military–industrial complex (MIC) describes the relationship between a country's military and the defense industry that supplies it, seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy. A driving factor behind the relationship between the military and the defense-minded corporations is that both sides benefit—one side from obtaining weapons, and the other from being paid to supply them. The term is most often used in reference to the system behind the armed forces of the United States, where the relationship is most prevalent due to close links among defense contractors, the Pentagon, and politicians. The expression gained popularity after a warning of the relationship's detrimental effects, in the farewell address of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 17, 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atoms for Peace</span> 1953 speech by US President Eisenhower

"Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8, 1953.

I feel impelled to speak today in a language that in a sense is new—one which I, who have spent so much of my life in the military profession, would have preferred never to use. That new language is the language of atomic warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower</span> U.S. presidential administration from 1953 to 1961

Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following his landslide victory over Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election. Four years later, in the 1956 presidential election, he defeated Stevenson again, to win re-election in a larger landslide. Eisenhower was limited to two terms and was succeeded by Democrat John F. Kennedy, who won the 1960 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Eisenhower</span> American writer

Susan Elaine Eisenhower is an American consultant, author, and expert on international security, space policy, energy, and relations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America. She is the daughter of John Eisenhower and the granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 United States presidential election in Vermont</span>

The 1956 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The 1956 State of the Union Address was delivered by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Friday, January 5, 1956, to both houses of the 84th United States Congress in written format. Eisenhower did not deliver a speech before a joint session of Congress because he had suffered a major heart attack four months prior and was recovering in Key West, Florida. Instead, Eisenhower opted to pre-record remarks from his office at the Naval Air Station in Key West summarizing his State of the Union Address which were broadcast to the nation in the evening on January 5.

The 1960 State of the Union Address was given on Thursday, January 7, 1960, by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, to a joint session of the 86th United States Congress. He said, "We must strive to break the calamitous cycle of frustrations and crises which, if unchecked, could spiral into nuclear disaster; the ultimate insanity." It was the height of the Cold War, and both the Soviet Union and the United States had a responsibility to the world.

The United States foreign policy of the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, from 1953 to 1961, focused on the Cold War with the Soviet Union and its satellites. The United States built up a stockpile of nuclear weapons and nuclear delivery systems to deter military threats and save money while cutting back on expensive Army combat units. A major uprising broke out in Hungary in 1956; the Eisenhower administration did not become directly involved, but condemned the military invasion by the Soviet Union. Eisenhower sought to reach a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union, but following the 1960 U-2 incident the Kremlin canceled a scheduled summit in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June 6, 1944, order of the day</span> World War II order

The June 6, 1944, order of the day was issued by Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force General Dwight D. Eisenhower to Allied forces on the eve of D-Day, the first day of the invasion of Normandy. The message was intended to impress upon the troops the importance of their mission which Eisenhower called a "Great Crusade". Eisenhower had been drafting the order since February 1944 and recorded a spoken version on May 28, that was broadcast on British and American radio on D-Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strom Thurmond filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1957</span> Longest United States Senate filibuster

On August 28, 1957, Strom Thurmond, then a Democratic United States senator from South Carolina, began a filibuster intended to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The filibuster—an extended speech designed to stall legislation—began at 8:54 p.m. and lasted until 9:12 p.m. the following day, a duration of 24 hours and 18 minutes. This made the filibuster the longest single-person filibuster in United States Senate history, a record that still stands as of 2024. The filibuster focused primarily on asserting that the bill in question, which provided for expanded federal protection of African American voting rights, was both unnecessary and unconstitutional, and Thurmond recited from documents including the election laws of each U.S. state, Supreme Court decisions, and George Washington's Farewell Address. Thurmond focused on a particular provision in the bill that dealt with certain court cases, but opposed the entirety of the bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923 State of the Union Address</span> Speech by US president Calvin Coolidge

The 1923 State of the Union Address was given by Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, on Thursday, December 6, 1923, to the 68th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Coolidge's first State of the Union Address and his first speech to a joint session of the United States Congress after assuming the presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding four months earlier in 1923. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Frederick H. Gillett, accompanied by President pro tempore Albert B. Cummins, in his capacity as the acting president of the Senate since the office of Vice President was vacant.

The 1969 State of the Union Address was given by Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, on Tuesday, January 14, 1969, to the 91st United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Johnson's sixth and final State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by Vice President Hubert Humphrey, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

The first 1961 State of the Union Address was delivered in written format by outgoing president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 12, 1961, to the 87th United States Congress. It was Eisenhower's ninth and final State of the Union Address.

The 1959 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Friday, January 9, 1959, to the 86th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's seventh State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Sam Rayburn, accompanied by Vice President Richard Nixon, in his capacity as the president of the Senate. The speech was broadcast by radio and television.

The 1958 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 9, 1958, to the 85th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's sixth State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Sam Rayburn, accompanied by Vice President Richard Nixon, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

The 1957 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 10, 1957, to the 85th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's sixth State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Sam Rayburn, accompanied by Vice President Richard Nixon, in his capacity as the president of the Senate. The speech was broadcast live over both radio and television.

The 1954 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 7, 1954, to the 83rd United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's second State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Joseph W. Martin Jr., accompanied by Vice President Richard Nixon, in his capacity as the president of the Senate. This address was broadcast live on both radio and television.

The February 1953 State of the Union Address was given by newly inaugurated president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Monday, February 2, 1953, to the 83rd United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's first State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Joseph W. Martin Jr., accompanied by recently inaugurated Vice President Richard Nixon in his capacity as the president of the Senate. This address was broadcast live on both radio and television.

References

  1. ↑ "Today's Television Highlights". Newsday. Hempstead, New York. January 5, 1955. p. 64. Retrieved March 14, 2024. ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont televise President Eisenhower's State of the Union message at 12:30 PM tomorrow.
  2. ↑ Edson, Arthur (January 7, 1955). "General Who Lost Political Battle Enters Enemy Camp". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024. At 12:31 P. M. today the House doorkeeper, William N. 'Fishbait' Miller, hurried down the center aisle of the House, paused and announced: 'The President of the United States.' And the general [Eisenhower] who had lost a political war [1954 midterm elections] smilingly advanced into the camp of the enemy to talk of the state of the union.
  3. 1 2 3 "Speeches". Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. United States National Archives. August 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ "State of the Union Address: Dwight D. Eisenhower (January 6, 1955)". www.infoplease.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  5. ↑ Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Messages and Addresses in Words". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "GOP Greets President With Cheer a Minute". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 3, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Hand clapping was heard 55 times during the 56-minute speech, mostly from the GOP side of the aisle.

1955 State of the Union Address (audio) at Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.