Posted: February 10, 2013 What were the issues George Washington
raised in the State of the Union address 223 years ago? Some of
the same ones you're likely to hear from President Obama on
Tuesday night. Guns, immigration, support for diplomats abroad,
and the nation's financial situation. These are key issues
facing President Obama as he delivers the first State of the
Union address of his second term on Tuesday night, Feb. 12.
Surprisingly, these were also key issues facing President George
Washington some 223 years ago, when he gave the very first state
of the union speech. It was January, 1790. Washington, the first
president of the newly united states of America, offered up a
PowerPoint-ish report to the combined houses of Congress at
Federal Hall in New York City. The mood of the country was
cautious optimism, says Edward Lengel, editor-in-chief of the
George Washington Papers at the University of Virginia.
"Washington appeared steady at the helm, and government appeared
to be working with reasonable ef