George Washington's Farewell Address Essay

George Washington set standards for a new nation growing up around him. He made his final political testament to the American people, commonly known as, “ The Farewell Address.” Washington drafted this message in September 1796 along with his Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. His objective was to warn his country of several issues such as sectionalism, political factions, and foreign policy, as well as many other topics. He focused mainly on foreign policy in order to protect his stance and recent proclamation on neutrality in the United States.

In 1796, George Washington drafted his farewell address several months before the end of his second term. Although this letter was written before the end of his 1st term, it was not official

He speaks of the dangers of permanent international partnerships. Previous to his letter to America, this issue controlled national politics during the French Revolutionary War. The Jeffersonian Republicans wanted to link with France, while the Federalists wanted to align with Great Britain. George dodged this disagreement by delivering the Proclamation of Neutrality. This formal announcement was put in place to declare America’s neutral state in regards to the conflict between Great Britain and France. Although he is a supporter of staying neutral in foreign affairs, he does believe in the idea of good faith and justice towards all nations. “Taking care always to keep ourselves by suitable establishments on a respectable defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.” (Agel 1997) He states that these connections will only dilute the government’s judgment in its foreign policy. These relationships will draw the U.S into wars that have nothing to do with the safety and prosperity of America. Our isolated position in the world is something that remains very important. He asks the American public to take advantage of this perfect placement for unity among the nation. It makes no sense to engage in wars that are on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. Temporary alliances during periods of

The actions taken by his successors were directly influenced by their disregard or adherence to the warnings Washington stated in his farewell address. Immediately following Washington’s resignation, the election of 1796 declared its first president of political party, John Adams, a Federalist. The Federalist Party was widely supported by Alexander Hamilton and future president James Madison. Both co-wrote “The Federalist” and were the first to organize political factions in opposition to Washington’s wishes. Second President John Adams was heavily involved with foreign affairs, being most remembered for the XYZ Affair, settling relations with France. While in office, Adams’ executive power was questioned by his vice president, Thomas Jefferson, a member of a separate political party. Although Jefferson greatly supported George Washington’s beliefs, paraphrasing in his inaugural address following Adam’s presidency that “first principle of American foreign policy as being ‘Peace, commerce, an honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.’” (Faragher, et al. 2006), the divide he created as a vice president of a different political party proved Washington to be correct concerning the repercussions of political factions. The importance of Washington’s ideals was proven immediately following his