The State of the Union is an annual message presented by the President of the United States to a joint session of the Congress. The State of the Union is mandated by the Constitution (except for the first year of the new president's term).
The concept of a State of the Union is enshrined in Article II, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution, which states that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
For most of the country's first century, the address was only submitted as a written report. However, after 1913, the president began the practice of delivering the address in person.
