George Washington farewell address
As President George Washington decides to retire and stand down at the conclusion of
his second term, He writes the Farewell Address with the help of Hamilton. A letter to the
American country, in which he expresses his appreciation while also warning against foreign
alliances and advising neutrality in foreign wars, as well as expressing his strong views on
political parties.
George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He served as supreme commander
throughout the American Revolutionary War and elected first president under the new
constitution in 1789. A founding father of the United States who decided during his second term
that he would not seek a third term. Philadelphia newspaper advertiser, a Philadelphia
newspaper, published a document known as the "farewell address.". Towards the end of George
Washington's first term, when he planned to retire but opted to re-elect due to tensions with
foreign nations and because of the need to keep serving the country, Washington drafted and
finalized the goodbye with the aid of Alexander Hamilton, which He believed the American
people would accept.
Taking a step back in history to better understand George's intentions behind the farewell;
The French revolution dominated political debate in the United States, with the democratic
republicans led by Thomas Jefferson wanting to maintain close ties with the French, and the
Hamiltonian federalists, who were horrified by the French revolution and wanted to maintain
closer ties with the British, and gained what they wanted with the signing of the Jay Treaty,
which temporarily aligned the United States with the British. With the president agreement with
Hamilton's financial scheme (Jay Treaty), it resulted in the formation of political parties, which
was a source of anxiety for Washington and the major cause for the farewell address, along with
the feelings that the U.S was too young, first government a failure due to its weakness (Pruitt,
2020).
His goodbye message was to show His love and appreciation to the American people and
to serve as a guide to the emerging republic, and one of his main arguments was to emphasize the
necessity of unity, as stated in the section where He declares, “You have in a common cause
fought and triumphed together,” Washington declared. “The Independence and Liberty you
possess is the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and
successes,” He warned the country about foreign entanglements and alliances, particularly with
European countries. Also, instructed US citizens to remain neutral in foreign conflicts,
particularly with Europeans, but stated that economic trade with foreign countries was beneficial
to the development of the US economy. He also highlighted the significance of political parties,
urging that they should not be created or maintained since they are harmful and would eventually
lead to division and social division.
Warnings and exhortations
His warnings have not always been followed. A notable example is how today's political
parties have become adversaries rather than friends, weakening America by diverting from the
core purpose of working together in unity for the benefit of the country. But nonetheless,
political parties prioritize campaigning and winning. One perspective at the time was that the
conflict between federalists and Democrats, starting to impede good government. Another point
of view is the American soldiers that have been stationed abroad since World War II, during its
history, the United States has declared war eleven times and meddled in the national elections of
other nations, including Italy, Russia, and Japan. (Salazar, Plagakis, 2022)
President George Washington's, in his concluding thoughts shares his relief after
addressing his concerns about foreign alliances, political parties and the country neutralities
advises in terms of war. Also, He mentioned that attempted to accomplish what was in the
nation's best interest from his standpoint, asked for forgiveness for his mistakes, and was looking
forward more to retirement in a free country.
References
Barbara Salazar, Sofia Plagakis (March 8, 2022), Instances of use of United States armed forces
abroad, 1798-2022, Congressional research service. R42738 (congress.gov)
Farewell Address, 19 September 1796, National Archives, Founders online.
Farewell Address, 19 September 1796 (archives.gov)
Sarah Pruitt (February 10, 2020) George Washington Warned Against Political
Infighting in His Farewell Address, History.https://www.history.com/news/george-
washington-farewell-address-warnings
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