1970 State of the Union Address
Spiro Agnew
John W. McCormack
The 1970 State of the Union Address was given by Richard Nixon, the 37th United States president, on January 22, 1970, to both houses of the 91st United States Congress. He said, "I say this not only because 1970 marks the beginning of a new decade in which America will celebrate its 200th birthday. The seventies will be a time of new beginnings, a time of exploring both on the earth and in the heavens, a time of discovery. But the time has also come for emphasis on developing better ways of managing what we have and of completing what man's genius has begun but left unfinished.
I say it because new knowledge and hard experience argue persuasively that both our programs and our institutions in America need to be reformed.
The moment has arrived to harness the vast energies and abundance of this land to the creation of a new American experience, an experience richer and deeper and more truly a reflection of the goodness and grace of the human spirit."[1]
Nixon stressed in his speech three areas of focus that he wanted to value during his presidency, the welfare system, the government system, and American opportunity. He talks about the American dream and giving the people opportunities, "Third, we must adopt reforms which will expand the range of opportunities for all Americans. We can fulfill the American dream only when each person has a fair chance to fulfill his own dreams. This means equal voting rights, equal employment opportunity, and new opportunities for expanded ownership. Because in order to be secure in their human rights, people need access to property rights."[2]
Nixon later goes on to talk about health care and providing each American with quality health care, "It is time to bring comprehensive, high quality health care within the reach of every American. [We should] assure comprehensive health insurance protection to millions who cannot now obtain it or afford it, with improved protection against catastrophic illnesses. This will be a plan that maintains the high standards of quality in America's health care. And it will not require additional taxes."[2] Nixon mentions many topics that the American people stressed about the most. The security, freedom, and health of the nation was the most stagnant points in the address.
Fully one-third of Nixon's speech was dedicated to environmental issues.[3]
References
- ^ "State of the Union Address: Richard Nixon (January 22, 1970)". InfoPlease.
- ^ a b "Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. January 22, 1970. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "50 Years Later: Burning Cuyahoga River Called Poster Child For Clean Water Act". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
External links
- 1970 State of the Union Address (full video and audio at www.millercenter.org)
- 1970 State of the Union Address
- 1970 State of the Union Address (Full Video)
Preceded by 1969 State of the Union Address | State of the Union addresses 1970 | Succeeded by 1971 State of the Union Address |
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- 37th President of the United States (1969–1974)
- 36th Vice President of the United States (1953–1961)
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- "Nixon goes to China"
- Millhouse (1971 film)
- An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972 play)
- Richard (1972 film)
- Another Nice Mess (1972 film)
- Four More Years (1972 film)
- Impeach the President (1973 song)
- The Werewolf of Washington (1973 film)
- White House Madness (1975 film)
- All the President's Men (1976 film)
- The Public Burning (1977 novel)
- Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977 miniseries)
- Secret Honor (1984 film)
- Nixon in China (1987 opera)
- The Final Days (1989 film)
- Nixon (1995 film)
- Elvis Meets Nixon (1997 film)
- Futurama (1999 TV series)
- Dick (1999 film)
- Nixon's China Game (2000 film)
- Dark Side of the Moon (2002 film)
- The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004 film)
- Frost–Nixon interviews (2006 play, 2008 film)
- Black Dynamite (2009 film)
- "The Impossible Astronaut" (2011 TV episode)
- Our Nixon (2013 film)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014 film)
- Crooked (2015 novel)
- Elvis & Nixon (2016 film)
- The Post (2017 film)
- Watergate (2019 board game)
- U.S. postage stamp
- Jack Brennan (aide de camp)
- Murray Chotiner (early campaign manager)
- Manolo Sanchez (valet)
- Rose Mary Woods (secretary)
- Thelma "Pat" Ryan Nixon (wife)
- Tricia Nixon Cox (daughter)
- Julie Nixon Eisenhower (daughter)
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- Jennie Eisenhower (granddaughter)
- Francis A. Nixon (father)
- Hannah Milhous Nixon (mother)
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- Edward Nixon (brother)