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State of the Union Addresses of Franklin Pierce
Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and of the House of
The interest with which the people of the Republic anticipate the
assembling of Congress and the fulfillment on that occasion of the duty
imposed upon a new President is one of the best evidences of their capacity
to realize the hopes of the founders of a political system at once complex
and symmetrical. While the different branches of the Government are to a
certain extent independent of each other, the duties of all alike have
direct reference to the source of power. Fortunately, under this system no
man is so high and none so humble in the scale of public station as to
escape from the scrutiny or to be exempt from the responsibility which all
official functions imply.
Upon the justice and intelligence of the masses, in a government thus
organized, is the sole reliance of the confederacy and the only security
for honest and earnest devotion to its interests against the usurpations
and encroachment of power on the one hand and the assaults of personal
ambition on the other.
The interest of which I have spoken is inseparable from an inquiring,
self-governing community, but stimulated, doubtless, at the present time by
the unsettled condition of our relations with several foreign powers, by
the new obligations resulting from a sudden extension of the field of
enterprise, by the spirit with which that field has been entered and the
amazing energy with which its resources for meeting the demands of humanity
have been developed.
Although disease, assuming at one time the characteristics of a widespread
and devastating pestilence, has left its sad traces upon some portions of
our country, we have still the most abundant cause for reverent
thankfulness to God for an accumulation of signal mercies showered upon us
as a nation. It is well that a consciousness of rapid advancement and
increasing strength be habitually associated with an abiding sense of
dependence upon Him who holds in His hands the destiny of men and of
The interest with which the people of the Republic anticipate the
assembling of Congress and the fulfillment on that occasion of the duty
imposed upon a new President is one of the best evidences of their capacity
to realize the hopes of the founders of a political system at once complex
and symmetrical. While the different branches of the Government are to a
certain extent independent of each other, the duties of all alike have
direct reference to the source of power. Fortunately, under this system no
man is so high and none so humble in the scale of public station as to
escape from the scrutiny or to be exempt from the responsibility which all
official functions imply.
Upon the justice and intelligence of the masses, in a government thus
organized, is the sole reliance of the confederacy and the only security
for honest and earnest devotion to its interests against the usurpations
and encroachment of power on the one hand and the assaults of personal
ambition on the other.
The interest of which I have spoken is inseparable from an inquiring,
self-governing community, but stimulated, doubtless, at the present time by
the unsettled condition of our relations with several foreign powers, by
the new obligations resulting from a sudden extension of the field of
enterprise, by the spirit with which that field has been entered and the
amazing energy with which its resources for meeting the demands of humanity
have been developed.
Although disease, assuming at one time the characteristics of a widespread
and devastating pestilence, has left its sad traces upon some portions of
our country, we have still the most abundant cause for reverent
thankfulness to God for an accumulation of signal mercies showered upon us
as a nation. It is well that a consciousness of rapid advancement and
increasing strength be habitually associated with an abiding sense of
dependence upon Him who holds in His hands the destiny of men and of
Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2004
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About the author
Franklin Pierce
82 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Franklin Pierce was an American politician and lawyer elected as the 14th President of the United States on the Democratic Party ticket, serving from 1853 to 1857. Previously, he was appointed commander and colonel of the 9th Infantry Regiment in the Mexican–American War, and was quickly promoted to brigadier general.
Franklin Pierce was an American politician and lawyer elected as the 14th President of the United States on the Democratic Party ticket, serving from 1853 to 1857. Previously, he was appointed commander and colonel of the 9th Infantry Regiment in the Mexican–American War, and was quickly promoted to brigadier general.
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July 23, 2025
✒️ State of the Union Addresses:
December 5, 1853
December 4, 1854
December 31, 1855
December 2, 1856
📕 In the public domain.
જ⁀🟣 Kindle.
༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻
December 5, 1853
December 4, 1854
December 31, 1855
December 2, 1856
📕 In the public domain.
જ⁀🟣 Kindle.
༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻✬༺༻༺༻
Displaying 1 of 1 review