Washington’s “Farewell Address” Analysis

George Washington’s Farewell Address to the People of The United States is an important document in the history of the United States. According to historians, “it set a sensible course for the young and still weak country, and shaped American foreign policy in many ways” (Walch & O’Halloran, 1993, p. 38). Washington’s speech is presented in the written form to target the US citizens. This document was created at the end of Washington’s second term as a President, on September 17, 1796. Washington presented many good and even innovative ideas for the future generations of Americans to strengthen the development of the United States. The style of writing and language used by the author affect the overall perception of the key message. The major goal of this paper is to analyse the major points of George Washington’s Farewell Address, considering its effect on the contemporary government and including different points of view.

To start with, the major points of Washington’s Farewell Address are interesting to interpret and understand. George Washington, the first President of the United States, placed emphasis on two major points, namely to foster unity at home and to strengthen the nation’s independence abroad. In his speech, Washington told about the role of the US Constitution, political parties, checks and balances and separation of powers, religious issues, education and moral values, credit and economical issues, foreign relations and free trade. He called for neutrality of the country and its independence in resolving of European affairs. The key message of the first US President was assessed as a Republican approach to survival of the state. The author provided his response to the political situation in the country and assessed the effects of the development of political parties. He was concerned with the US cooperation with Europe which could “threaten” the political and economic stability of the new state (Robertson, 2010).

Moreover, it is necessary to consider the direction of the contemporary government while analysing Washington’s Farewell Address. Currently, the US government is focused on maintaining the   core political values and beliefs mentioned by Washington. The preservation of unity remains the key priority of the United States. The US President and Administration are aimed at preservation of the nation, fostering patriotism, and promoting liberty and freedom. What is more important is that the US government ensures protection of social justice and equality through various policies, laws and regulations. According to Washington, it is necessary to “observe good faith and justice toward all nations…Cultivate peace and harmony with all…” (George Washington’s Farewell Address, September 17, 1796). All in all, the Farewell Address is the basis of the foreign policy of the nation. The national interests of Americans affect the political climate in the country. The US foreign policy is based on promoting diplomatic, commercial and cultural relations with other countries. 

Furthermore, it stands to reason that Washington’s Farewell Address created much controversy in American society. The different points of view show that Washington’s ideas are perceived differently. Political opponents criticised Washington’s speech as they did not support his idea of political neutrality and political factionalism. Some historians consider that Farewell Address “was more accurately a political document intended to counter the popularity of Thomas Jefferson and assist John Adams in 1796 presidential campaign” (Robertson, 2010, p. 384).

Thus, it is necessary to conclude that Washington’s Farewell Address is an important historical document that has a strong impact on the US government and the US foreign policy. The advice given by Washington helped to shape foreign policy and domestic policy of the United States. At the same time, some ideas provided by Washington like the negative effects of political parties and the neutral relationships of the United States with other countries were ignored by the government. 

References

George Washington’s Farewell Address, September 17, 1796.

Robertson, A. (2010). Encyclopedia of US Political History. SAGE.

Walch, J. W. & Kate O’Hallora, K. (1993). “1796- Washington’s Farewell Address” in Cases and Controversies in U. S. History. Walch Publishing.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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