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Primary sourceSpeech4 January 1935

Second State of the Union Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt · 4 January 1935

Roosevelt's 1935 address to Congress reporting on New Deal relief programs and the state of the nation during the Great Depression.

This is Roosevelt's own State of the Union address reporting on New Deal relief efforts.

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What it is

This is the text of the State of the Union address given by Franklin D. Roosevelt to Congress on 4 January 1935. Roosevelt wrote and delivered the address himself, as required by the Constitution for the president to report on the state of the Union.

Why it matters

The speech reports on the progress of New Deal programs two years into Roosevelt's presidency, describing gains in agriculture, industry, and public confidence. It offers a primary-source view of how Roosevelt presented his administration's response to the Great Depression to Congress and the public.

Look closer

  • What kinds of progress does Roosevelt claim the country has made, and how does he support these claims?
  • Why might a president choose to emphasize confidence and restored spirit in this kind of speech?
  • What criticisms or problems might the speech be leaving out?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Franklin D. Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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