LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address


When George Washington gave his farewell address in 1796, he both set precedents and gave warnings to America. He began this speech by telling the people of the United States that he would not be running in the next election, which set an example to future presidents and ultimately influenced the restriction of the president only being allowed to serve for two terms. However, he did assure the citizens that he did not want them to forget about him or become disinterested with him, and thanks them all for a great time while he was in office as well as expressing his patriotism. After this, he stated that the different regions of America were different from each other in much more than where they were located. Furthermore, he said that if a stronger sense of union and unity was achieved, then there would be no limit to what the United States could do. He went on to say that a "government for the whole is indispensable," and that there cannot be alliances between parts of the government or things are bound to go wrong. Another warning he gave was that the authority of the government and its rules should not be taken about loosely and that they should always be enforced. To add to that, he said that factions that gain a lot of power over another faction are very dangerous and should be prevented from happening. However, he said that spirit for a certain party should not be encouraged in elections. He went on to support the idea of government branches having a set of checks and balances, as to avoid corruption. On an unexpected note, he supports religion and morality, which is unlike many politicians throughout the years. To go along with that he states that the public should let their opinions be heard. Then, he reaffirms his neutrality proclamation and says that people should stay pleasant towards all nations and that particular attachment to a certain nation is dangerous and bad. However, he was not against the people being informed about world issues. Also, he does not support isolation from nations, and tells the citizens that it is important to interact in the world community. Washington ends his speech by stating that he did not intend to make any errors, but he realizes that he is not perfect, and that he anticipates a nice life under the free government of the United States of America. This entire speech essentially summed up what his presidency stood for and restated his thoughts for what works and what does not work in a good nation.