In 1796, toward the end of his second term, at 64 years of age President George Washington was suffering from ill health and political fatigue, and so decided not to seek a third term. Enlisting the help of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, he composed his final statement to the nation.
Washington did not publicly deliver his farewell address; instead, it was published in the Philadelphia Daily American Advertiser, and then subsequently reprinted in papers across the country.
The document conveyed three warnings:
• Regional infighting over national unity
• Party loyalty over country
• The dangers of foreign entanglements
Washington believed that the republic was becoming threatened by regional sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign governments into America’s domestic affairs, and thus felt compelled to warn the American people via his farewell address.
How prescient…you’d think he wrote it today!
I only recently learned of this document, as someone I highly respect recommended it, and when I read it I thought I should make it available for all to read and share, for obvious reasons.
The free ebook can be downloaded from our Free Ebook Library.
