Over 75 years ago Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated into his second presidential term after a landslide election. He focused his efforts towards many civil matters such as works programs and child labor laws, economic essentials such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and implemented programs to plant millions of trees in forests protected from natural disasters.

Little more than two years ago President Barack Obama became the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win the popular vote in both elections. Civil labor programs, education amendments and a mission to responsibly preserve the environment are all passion projects that Obama shares as the successor to this achievement. Now six years into his presidency Obama is aggressively exploring and enacting opportunities for reform without any fear of losing the next election. He’s all done campaigning and finally has time to consider what he believes is right without so much fear of persecution.

Each year the President of the United States addresses a joint session of congress to propose new ideas that he considers necessary and expedient. This speech, called the State of the Union, reports on the condition of the nation to a live television audience.

This year marked many significant firsts for the address. 2015’s lecture was the first since 2001 to make no mention of Al-Qaeda, the first ever to use the words “lesbian”, “gay”, “bisexual”, “transgender” and the first time many members of congress held pencils during the speech to showcase support for freedom of the press conflicts such as the Charlie Hebdo shooting.

The foundation of the address lied within several current issues. Focus was put on improving the American economic climate through domestic investment, calling for community college to be made free, guaranteeing up to seven paid sick days for workers, destroying the threat of Islamic terrorism, striving to become less dependent on foreign oil, deterring cyber threats, cutting carbon emissions and a new tax on Wall Street companies.

It was a very ambitious speech backed up by many recent American triumphs. The economy is growing faster than ever since 1999, a record-high number of high school graduates and insured citizens, an end to combat in Afghanistan and dominance in wind/solar/natural gas energy productions of the world.

President Obama proposed ideas for a new trade plan with Cuba after discussing the maintenance of America’s free and open internet. This topic segued from the announcement of the discovery of a powerful new antibiotic and breakthroughs in technology used to create prosthetic limbs.

The State of the Union Address for 2015 was established with an ambitious head start. Obama promised to veto several bills that will inevitably reach his desk and he requested the motion for many new laws to carry out his plans. History will show that Americans are tired of bearing the weight of past mistakes and are ready to accelerate once again like so many past revolutionary periods. This great nation will once again rise from the ashes of adversity to ascend the throne of unprecedented international success.