2
Washington’s Farewell Address Analysis
George Washington’s Farewell Address
In 1792, Washington had considered not running for a second term and asked fellow
Virginian James Madison to draft a farewell address based on some of the principles the
president would later enunciate in the 1796 message. When Washington decided to stand for
reelection in 1792, such a message was no longer needed. As the end of his second term
approached, he again contemplated the preparation of a farewell message. This time, he solicited
Alexander Hamilton’s advice. Hamilton prepared an entirely new draft, incorporating the
president’s opinions on various topics based on the two men’s close association over several
decades. Washington then added material, deleted some sections, and further revised Hamilton’s
work (Rohrs, 2010).
After serving as commander in chief during the Revolution for eight years, Washington
announced that he would retire from the army and not serve again in public office. In 1787
friends and advisers such as James Madison, Virginia governor Edmund Randolph, and Henry
Knox (chief artillery officer of the Continental army and later the first U.S. Secretary of War)
persuaded him to come out of retirement to serve as a delegate to a general convention of the
states to amend the Articles of Confederation. When the new Constitution was ratified,
Washington was unanimously elected as the country’s first president. He reluctantly accepted the
position and hoped to serve no longer than one full term. (Kaminski, 2020). After announcing
that he did not intend to run for a third term, preferring instead to return to private life,
Washington devoted the remainder of his message to advice for future generations of Americans
based on his “reflection [and] … observation.” He presented three major themes: the
preservation of the Union and the need for national unity, the danger of political parties, and the
3
nature of future relations between the United States and other countries (Rohrs, 2010).
Almost immediately during Washington’s first administration, political divisions arose
between those who saw the nation’s future in commerce versus agriculture. During the early
1790s, two political parties—sometimes called factions—developed around these visions,
despite a general belief that parties were detrimental to unified republican government. As events
unfolded in foreign and domestic affairs, the two parties repeatedly contested one another
(Winters, 2016).
Advice on National Unity and Political Parties
Washington first discussed the need for national unity. He advocated nationalism over
sectionalism, suggesting that unity would not only provide the best defense against future
enemies but also eliminate the need for a large standing army. In addition, he linked national
unity and liberty, arguing, “your union ought to be considered as a main prop to your liberty.” He
also rejected the concern, commonly held at the time, that the United States was geographically
too large to be governed as a republic (Rohrs, 2010).
The Scriptures state, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore
whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the
one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s
servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For
he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore
one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For
because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very
4
thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue
is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Holy Bible, English
Standard Version, Romans 13:1-7).
Unfortunately, Washington’s countrymen did not follow his advice. After a short period
of prosperity, the country fell into a severe postwar economic depression. State assemblies
enacted radical legislation to ease the plight of desperate debtors, while insufficient efforts to
relieve the distressed in other states resulted in violence (Kaminski, 2020).
Deeply offended by partisan attacks on him and his administration, Washington, like
most of his contemporaries, also feared the divisive effects of political parties. Although his
concern was directed primarily toward parties based on section, which, he believed, threatened
national unity and fostered “local interests and views,” in his address he condemned all political
parties. While begrudgingly acknowledging “that parties in free countries are useful checks upon
the administration of the government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty,” Washington
preferred that all Americans “be bound together by fraternal affection” (Rohrs, 2010).
Advice on Foreign Policy
Another, and more widely remembered, section of the Farewell Address offered the president’s
reflections on the future foreign policy of the United States. Issues such as the outbreak of war in
Europe, American obligations under the FrancoAmerican Alliance of 1778, and the continuing
problems of British occupation of U.S. territory and the Spanish closure of the Mississippi River
had dominated the president’s second term. Washington's advice was simple: it was to the
advantage of the United States to "cultivate peace and harmony with all [nations]" and to avoid
"interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe”(Rohrs, 2010).
Washington’s persistent theme throughout the address is the importance of the “national
5
union to your collective and individual happiness,” as he notes in paragraph 9. Union, according
to Washington “is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your
tranquility at home; your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty
which you so highly prize.” (Kaminski, 2020).
Concerned that the country was divided between those Americans who preferred closer
ties with England and those who longed for greater affinity with France, Washington advised
maintaining amicable relations with all nations. Specifically, he warned against both fostering
strong “sympathy for the favorite nation” and perpetuating “antipathy” toward any particular
country. This was a reference to a faction within the anti-administration forces, loosely aligned
with Thomas Jefferson, whose attachment to France seemed, at times, to exceed the faction
members’ loyalty to their own country. But, by not referring specifically to these Democratic
Societies, Washington’s admonition was also directed toward those Americans who were
Anglophiles. In his view, “the insidious wiles of foreign influence” affected both groups and
threatened the maintenance of the American republic (Rohrs, 2010).
6
Biblography
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Publishing. Originally published 2001
Kaminski, J., P. (2020). George Washington’s farewell address. In K. McCoy (Ed.), Milestone
Documents in American History: Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped America
(2nd ed.). Schlager Group Inc.
https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NDkyMTk1OQ==?
aid=96753
Rohrs, R. C. (2010). Washington’s farewell address. In CQ Press (Ed.), Encyclopedia of U.S.
Political History (1st ed.). CQ Press.
https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6MTAyNzk1MA==?
aid=96753
Winters, C.D. (2016). U.S. History. Cengage Learning.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
