page_title: 1791 State of the Union Address
section_title: Westward movement and Census Act
hierarchical_section_title: 1791 State of the Union Address / Historical Background / Westward movement and Census Act
context_page_description: The state of union is an address, in the United States, given by the president to a joint session of Congress, the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate. The United States constitution requires the president "from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union." Today the state of the union address is given as a speech, though this is not a requirement of the constitution. George Washington chose to address the congress in a speech annually, on October 25, 1791 he gave his third speech.
context_section_description: At the time America was currently in possession of the original thirteen colonies as well as the land gained in the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris ended the revolutionary war, in it America is granted territory as far west as the Mississippi River. Known as the year of "Great Immigration" 1788 is the year many Americans move west. On October 18th, 1790 the Ohio tribe defeated an expedition of American troops near Fort Wayne, Indiana, this signifies the beginning of the hostilities in the North West territory. On March 30, 1791 construction of the Knoxville Road begins, it links the Wilderness Road and with Knoxville. The road opens up more frontier area for settlements. In September 1791 there is much hostility in Ohio territory, this causes Americans to build forts at Hamilton, St.Clair, Jefferson, Greenville and Recovery. 
  At the time the Census Act had been put in place just over a year and a half before the speech. This act called for a routine census of the United States, and was passed by Congress on March 1st, 1790.
caption: Expansion of the United States westward.
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