Summary Of George Washington's Farewell Address

An analysis of George Washington’s Farewell Address shows that there were three points he wanted to stress. The points being his decision not to be considered for a 3rd term, his advice to the country to stand united, and his advice to the future leaders of the country concerning foreign policy.

If the nation was not neutral in foreign affairs the country would become divided. In Washington’s Farewell Address, he warned the country about having political division because he believed that would also separate the country. George Washington’s contributions were attempts to keep the country unified and out of foreign wars. President Washington’s ideas such as establishing a cabinet and policies such as neutrality helped stabilize government.

Another focus Washington included in his farewell address was his strong support for religion and morality. Washington touched upon explaining how morality cannot be achieved without religion thus proclaiming the importance of religion. He proceeded to talk about how morality was the key to electing popular candidates running for government and if religion is not emphasized in the union, morality is hard to attain which corrupts government. Another main focus Washington promoted was how political parties should be repressed. He felt that the political parties tend to get out of hand in competing with each other and thus cause distractions in the government. The concern he showed was strongly toward the Republican-Democratic Party and the Federalist Party.

“Washington’s Farewell Address” speech is a compelling and inspiring speech that lifted the spirits of Americans while George Washington rejected taking the third term of President of the United States. This speech is very easy to read because of the rhetorical and literary devices he uses. This speech's significance is to reject Washington’s third term and motivate America, and it accomplishes both. “Washington’s Farewell Address” is a compelling and remarkable speech because of how Washington captivates the reader with ethos, pathos, logos, and figurative

As Washington said, “The name of ‘American,’ which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any [name] derived from local discriminations.” Washington supported this appeal to national unity by noting that each geographic region of the United States benefits from the preservation of the “Union of the whole,” whether by expanded trade, by greater strength against foreign nations, or by the security that internal peace within the United States

George Washington’s Presidential Farewell Address consisted of three critical elements that were considered vital for the functional survival of the country that had just won its independence. On September 19, 1796, President Washington advised the nation to stand together as one united country, warned the people about the dangers of political parties and he established foundational reasons for the country to not become over involved in foreign affairs. These three principles set forth an understanding that was monumental for American society. Their level of importance serves as a near perfect reflection to both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution as the building blocks to a great nation. Each of these three principles, even though they were not written as laws, went on as a tradition for this nation; each being clung to with the same level of importance and integrity as the Founders sought in the aforestated documents of freedom.

George Washington played a large role in America’s history by being the first president of the United States of America for two terms starting in 1789 to September 19,1786, however it was not technically over until 1787. He changed the ways in which the Americans lived through events such as the ratification of the Constitution, moving the capitol, and the signing of the Jay treaty, but especially through his farewell address. Toward the end of his presidency in 1796, George Washington's farewell address managed to lead America into a path of patriotic union with one another and neutrality with other countries for trade and less violence. Washington wrote this 32 paged address to inform the citizens of his leave from presidency and to ultimately get them to think about who they want as head of Congress in America after he is gone. Although Washington wrote this address himself, his ideas were shared with Alexander Hamilton before they were actually published (ourdouments.org) making it a team effort, one of many reasons to prove the fact that the most successful events in America were able to happen because of the unity of its people. The document clearly states the end of his presidency but the beginning of a whole new chapter for America.

In Washington’s farewell he mentions his ideas on foreign policy. He states that the United States should

As Washington left office in 1797, he left America with parting words that have been repeated by many other presidents throughout history: “so help me god”. This illustrates the impact Washington had on America. He truly was a president upon a hill in that he had no reference of how to run a stable democratic republic where every citizen would be satisfied. He had to make difficult decisions that were both necessary and proper to further the nation as a whole and gain international trust. He had the help of his cabinet members to solve the nation’s economic problems, stop rebellions, and avoid potentially dangerous alliances. Washington’s presidency helped bridge the new nation together by appropriately dealing with tasks at hand and preventing unnecessary involvement in

Washington saw the countries dividing along political lines, and foresaw endangers of partisan affecting national unity. He urged the American people to avoid political parties, believing that it would lead to the “ruins of public liberty (50).” He strongly believed that the political parties had “served to distract… [and] agitate the Community will ill-founded jealousies and false alarms (51).” Washington exposed the intentions of political parties by saying, “The alternate domination” of one party over another will lead to a “frightful despotism (49).” In other words, hyperpartisan, influenced by a revenge seeking spirit, will hand over trust and absolute power to the

Many people know George Washington as the first president of the United States but most don’t know the real George Washington aside from that. George was born into a family that consisted of a mother, a father and his nine other siblings. When Washington was 11 years old his father died and was put in the care of his half brother Lawrence.

George Washington wrote a farewell speech in 1796, marking the retirement of his leadership of the United States of America. He published his goodbye, titled his “Farewell Address,” in many papers. The long, revised copy of his speech, originally intended to be read at the end of his first term, tells of how he wanted to retire four years previous, but how he had been begged to stay on. He states that he never considered himself to be worthy of leading the

In George Washington's Farewell Address, one of his main concern was that an "alternate domination of one faction over another... is itself a frightful despotism." He felt that one party would rule over the majority in the government and feared of what it could become. And now because of these political parties, there are more Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate. For instance, there are 248 Republican seats in the House and only 192 Democrats. As well as in the Senate, where 54 are Republicans and only 44 are Democrats. From this division, Republicans will favor Republican ideals in the government and the Democrats are being misrepresented. I believe that Washington would not stand for this disunion and would

An Analysis of George Washington's Farewell Address Carmen Williams Liberty University: GOVT 200-B102 Professor Edward Soto George Washington's Farewell Address is one of the most eloquent pieces of literature delivered. It's content and intent constitutes that of a man who was not only prophetic, but a sage. His Farewell Address was printed in the Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796. The Address was not merely a statement of resignation, but an open letter of advisement exemplifying unity, in addition to warning the American people about their long-term freedom and pursuit of happiness. There are twenty key points in Washington's Farewell Address; however the focus will be on five of these: (1) The Preservation of the Union. (2) The Danger of Factions. (3) Religion and Morality. (4) Preservation of Public Credit. (5) America's Role in the World. The Preservation of the Union. Washington's persistent theme throughout the Farewell Address is the preservation of the Union as the crux of American Nationhood. In paragraph 9 Washington notes the Union, "is the 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." Washington warns of those, internally and externally, who would covertly work to destroy the foundation on which America was built. In paragraph 10, Washington accentuates the far greater significance

One of Washington’s major points is staying out of Europe’s wars and conflicts. Washington believed that we should not follow through with the strong isolationistic beliefs up to the first war. It only occurred during the World War II that we had gotten away from it. To avoid partisanship, Washington didn’t even want the political parties to follow us at all; obviously we did indeed have two strong political parties, which neither completed its responsibilities and had the encouragement of determination to solve the serious issues that shouldn’t have been about the political parties that most had belong or involved in that don’t actually know anything or about the politics of what both parties were doing.