Whereas: Stories from the People’s House
Edition for Educators—Joint Meetings and Joint Sessions
About this object Winston Churchill shares the record for the most addresses to Congress by any foreign individual. He is pictured here delivering his third and final address in 1952.
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What’s in the House Chamber
Learn more about the House Chamber where the President’s State of the Union Address and Joint Sessions and Joint Meeting of the House and Senate are held. The press and the public can witness the process from the galleries or watch the proceedings on television. The grand space in which all this work is carried out was designed in the 19th century—and redesigned over the years—with these needs in mind.
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Foreign Leaders & Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress
A Joint Meeting is the preferred method for receiving addresses from foreign leaders and dignitaries. Joint Meetings are used for special commemorative events and to receive addresses by domestic dignitaries. To initiate a Joint Meeting, both houses, by resolution or by unanimous consent, declare themselves in recess for a joint gathering in the House Chamber. House Rule IV governs this procedure. Learn more about these Joint Meetings.
Featured Objects in the House Collection
Astronaut John Glenn Addresses a Joint Meeting of Congress
Astronaut John Glenn addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress just days after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. The Friendship 7 space capsule circled the globe three times in just under five hours and reached speeds of more than 17,000 miles per hour. Though a huge technical achievement, the trip was also of political importance, helping to secure the United States’ standing in the space race with the Soviet Union. Glenn was later elected to the Senate in 1974.
About this object The House and Senate gather in a partly renovated House Chamber for Harry Truman's 1950 State of the Union Address.
Joint Session Postcard
In this 1950 postcard image, Congress gathered to hear President Harry Truman in a House Chamber that was half old and half new. Engineers had just installed a new roof and ceiling and renovated the gallery level. The changes addressed long-standing structural problems and gave the House a chance to update the chamber’s look. When the House gathered for Truman’s next State of the Union Address in 1951, the lower half of the chamber had been renovated as well with deep wood paneling replacing the Victorian décor visible in this postcard.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill Addresses a Joint Meeting of Congress
On January 17, 1952, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress for the third time in his career. Telling the assembled Members that “I have come here to ask not for gold but for steel, not for favors but for equipment,” Churchill pledged Britain’s support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and vowed to help defend Western Europe against Communist encroachment. Churchill also pleaded with Congress to keep the atomic bomb in the U.S. arsenal until peace was ensured.
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White Tie and Tails?—The 1936 Annual Message
Tuxedo? Business suit? Dress up or dress sensibly? It’s not the Oscars . . . it was the first evening Annual Message. Learn about the President Franklin Roosevelt’s historic evening Annual Message.
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The Netherlands' Queen Beatrix's Address to a Joint Meeting of Congress
April 21, 1982
On this date, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress to celebrate 200 years of unbroken diplomatic relations between the United States and the Netherlands. She focused primarily on the importance of global nuclear disarmament.
President George Washington Delivered His First Regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress
January 8, 1790
On this date, George Washington delivered his first regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress. Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution states that the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
About this object This pass was for a September 12, 2001, Joint Meeting meant to feature Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The Joint Meeting was cancelled in the wake of the devastating attacks on September 11.
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Several former House Members later addressed a Joint Session as President of the United States, including:
- John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts addressed four Joint Sessions.
- Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas addressed eight Joint Sessions.
- Richard Nixon of California addressed six Joint Sessions.
- Gerald R. Ford of Michigan addressed seven Joint Sessions.
- George H. W. Bush of Texas addressed six Joint Sessions.
Featured House Record
Historical Documents: Selma and the 1965 Voting Rights Act
Following President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Joint Session address on the Voting Rights Act on March 15, 1965, the House moved swiftly to pass the important legislation. View some of the House Records related to that historic message.
This is part of a series of blog posts for educators highlighting the resources available on History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives. For lesson plans, fact sheets, glossaries, and other materials for the classroom, see the website's Education section.
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Practice & Customs, Edition for Educators