Highlights Archives
State of the State — Voices and Votes
This week the Society press issues Voices & Votes, the sixth and final book in the New Badger History series. It provides an introduction to the basic structures of American democracy, state government, and history of Wisconsin from its territorial status to its statehood. According to co-author Bobbie Malone, “Teachers have been asking for a book on Wisconsin government for many years, and I felt that we needed to create something that went beyond civics and also responded to political history. I looked for a national model for such a book and couldn’t find anything.”
This week Governor Jim Doyle also gives the state's annual State of the State address, a tradition dating back more than a century and a half to a time when life was simpler. "Since your last annual session, nothing has transpired." So began the 1853 State of the State address by then-Wisconsin Governor Leonard J. Farwell. While things in Wisconsin have surely changed since then, the annual address by the governor remains a fixture of the legislative session in Wisconsin. Each January, the governor is required by law to communicate to the Legislature the condition of the state and to make recommendations for programs that he or she thinks are essential. Some of the most important legislation in Wisconsin history began in State of the State addresses, including the introduction of the primary vote by Governor Robert La Follette in 1901 and the first model academic standards by Governor Tommy Thompson in 1997.
The authors of Voices & Votes wanted to provide a brief look at how the three branches of government function at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels, while tying these structural notions to Wisconsin history. With their target audience of elementary school students in mind, they keep the book simple yet engaging. They emphasize that the citizens’ voices and votes help government meet societal needs. Author Jon Kasparek says writing such a book was a challenge.
“The most challenging part was explaining how complex institutions, like the legislature and supreme court, developed over time. Every part of Wisconsin’s government is based on the experiences of other nations and states, from Medieval England to the Northwest Ordinance. Explaining how Wisconsin’s founders found these precedents relevant in 1847-and why they still work well-is a complicated story even for adults."
The relationship of the governor to the legislature is one place where governmental powers intersect. The governor's annual address is modeled on the State of the Union that the president delivers to Congress each year as mentioned in the U.S. Constitution and first modeled by George Washington in 1790. The length and goals of the messages have varied from governor to governor and from era to era. Governor La Follette, for example, gave quite detailed portraits of the state that routinely ran more than 100 pages. Other governors, perhaps thinking more charitably of their audience, kept it around 30 pages. Judging from this article in the Wisconsin State Journal in 1862, Governor Louis Powell Harvey struck just the right chord as Wisconsin citizens struggled through another year of the Civil War.
Three addresses from Tommy Thompson — in 1989, 1997 and 2001 — can be found at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. Governor's addresses from the Society's collections that date from 1853 through 1914 are available in the public documents collection of the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. More titles for teachers and students published by the Office of School Services are available through the Society's Teachers Portal.
Governor Jim Doyle delivers this year's State of the State Address on Tuesday, January 17th, at 7 p.m.
:: Posted January 17, 2006
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