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In his first speech before a joint session of Congress, on Feb. 24, 2009, President Obama outlined an agenda to revive the “massive debt” he’d inherited “to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.” Technically, it wasn’t a State of the Union address because Obama’s presidency was only a month old. He announced a new lending fund to provide college, automobile and small-business loans and a housing plan to help struggling homeowners refinance their mortgages and said that Wall Street would be held accountable for its spending. He also began the push for his health care reform plan. The unemployment rate nationally was 8.1 percent, while the African-American jobless rate was 13.4 percent. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais-Pool/Getty Images)

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On Sept. 9, 2009, President Obama delivered an impassioned address to a joint session of Congress, urging lawmakers to move forward with health care reform legislation and providing a detailed outline for them to work with to find areas of agreement and hammer out issues on which they disagreed. But, he warned, to applause, "I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are." He continued: "If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now." According to the U.S. Census, the number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 46.3 million in 2008 to 50.7 million in 2009, and 21 percent of African-Americans were uninsured. (Photo: Jason Reed-Pool/Getty Images)

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In his first State of the Union address on January 27, 2010, President Obama said that his top priority was to help struggling Americans recover economically. "Jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010," he said. The national unemployment rate at the time was 9.7 percent. Black unemployment had soared to 16.5 percent. The president called for the elimination of capital gains taxes on small business investment and tax credits for new hiring and investments in new equipment to spur hiring. \rHe also urged Congress to pass a health care reform bill. "By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance," Obama said. "Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small-business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will n...

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When President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address on Jan. 25, 2011, his party was still stinging from a humiliating number of defeats in the 2010 midterm elections that led to a Republican majority in the House and Democrats barely holding on to control of the Senate. The theme of his address was “winning the future” and the president called for innovation in research and technology and budget reforms to keep the United States a leader in the competitive global marketplace. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” he said. Unemployment overall was at 9.7 percent was still woefully high, but even worse for African-Americans whose rate was 16.4 percent.\r(Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Photo By Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

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On Sept. 8, 2011, President Obama introduced the American Jobs Act before a joint session of Congress. The legislation was in part a response to Republican critics who for months had challenged Obama to show them a plan. The $447 billion proposal featured a mix of tax cuts for businesses and workers, expanded aid for the long-term unemployed and workers, and billions in infrastructure spending and aid to states. "It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services," he said. It was also the start of a feistier Obama, who took his message on the road, challenging congressional Republicans to pass his bill or explain to the American public why they won’t. Black unemployment that month dipped slightly from 16.7 to 16.0, while the national rate was stuck at ...

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On Jan. 24, President Obama will deliver his third and what could be his last State of the Union address. His challenge will be two-fold: reassuring the American public that his is the best plan to heal a still ailing economy and instilling confidence that he deserves a second term to continue implementing that plan. He will likely strike a populist tone and attempt to draw a contrast between himself and a “do-nothing” Congress, framing his re-election message. (Photo: Yuri Gripas-Pool/Getty Images)