January 12, 1961 State of the Union Address

January 12, 1961, State of the Union Address

Date	January 12, 1961 (1961-01-12)
Location	Washington, D.C.
Type	State of the Union Address
Participants	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Format	Written
Previous	1960 State of the Union Address
Next	January 30, 1961, State of the Union Address

The first 1961 State of the Union Address was delivered in written format^[1] by outgoing president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 12, 1961, to the 87th United States Congress.^[2] It was Eisenhower's ninth and final State of the Union Address.

The message was transmitted to the House of Representatives on January 12, but since the Senate was not in session that day, it was transmitted to the Senate on January 13.^[2]

In the address, Eisenhower reflected on the accomplishments of his administration in the past eight years, stating that he wished "to review briefly the record of these past eight years in the hope that, out of the sum of these experiences, lessons will emerge that are useful to our Nation."^[2] The main sections in his address included foreign policy; national defense; the economy; government finance and administration; agriculture; natural resources; education, science, and technology; civil rights; health and welfare; housing and urban development; immigration; and veterans.^[2]

Eisenhower concluded his message by revisiting his goals from 1953 and stating his aspirations for the United States:

In concluding my final message to the Congress, it is fitting to look back to my first—to the aims and ideals I set forth on February 2, 1953: To use America's influence in world affairs to advance the cause of peace and justice, to conduct the affairs of the Executive Branch with integrity and efficiency, to encourage creative initiative in our economy, and to work toward the attainment of the well-being and equality of opportunity of all citizens.... Our goal always has been to add to the spiritual, moral, and material strength of our nation. I believe we have done this. But it is a process that must never end. Let us pray that leaders of both the near and distant future will be able to keep the nation strong and at peace, that they will advance the well-being of all our people, that they will lead us on to still higher moral standards, and that, in achieving these goals, they will maintain a reasonable balance between private and governmental responsibility.^[2]

References

Military
careerPresidency
(timeline)

Foreign policy

Eisenhower Doctrine Korean War 1953; Korean Armistice Agreement 1953 Iranian coup d'état "Chance for Peace" speech (1953) Cold War Domino theory Khrushchev, Eisenhower and De-Stalinization New Look policy 1955 Geneva Summit 1960 U-2 incident Atomic Energy Act of 1954 Atoms for Peace Restricted Data Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 Food for Peace Suez Crisis (1956) DARPA (1958) EURATOM Cooperation Act of 1958 National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958; NASA Operation 40 (1960)

Domestic policy

Executive Order 10479 (1953) Outer Continental Shelf Act (1953) Refugee Relief Act (1953) Submerged Lands Act (1953) U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1953) Agricultural Act of 1954 National Wool Act of 1954 Special Milk Program Excise Tax Reduction Act of 1954 Internal Revenue Code of 1954 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 Small Watershed Program Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 Agricultural Act of 1956 Soil Bank Act Soil Bank Program Federal Voting Assistance Program (1955) Bank Holding Company Act (1956) Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 Interstate Highway System Highway Trust Fund Fish and Wildlife Act (1956) People to People Student Ambassador Program (1956) President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1956) Civil Rights Act of 1957 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Federal Plant Pest Act of 1957 Little Rock Nine intervention (1957) Price–Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act (1957) Alaska Statehood Act (1958) Humane Slaughter Act (1958) National Defense Education Act 1958; Federal Perkins Loan Student loans in the United States Hawaii Admission Act (1959) Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 Civil Rights Act of 1960 Sikes Act (1960)

BooksElectionsLegacyPopular
cultureFamilyRelated