1838 State of the Union Address

The 1838 State of the Union Address was delivered by the eighth president of the United States Martin Van Buren to the 25th United States Congress on December 3, 1838. Van Buren presented an optimistic view of the nation's state, reflecting on fifty years of federal governance under the U.S. Constitution, which he described as a system preserving both "individual happiness" and "private interests." This year marked the nation’s half-century under the framework devised by the Founding Fathers, which Van Buren credited for the preservation of peace, liberty, and economic growth.