George Washington, America’s first president, was a remarkably forward-thinking leader. In 1796, near the end of his second term in office, he composed a letter to the American people announcing his intention to retire. In part, he was concerned he might die in office and thus set a precedent that American presidents rule for life.
Known as “Washington’s Farewell Address”, the letter was first published in a Philadelphia newspaper. Washington wrote of his concern about dangers that could threaten the United States including regionalism, partisanship, and foreign entanglement. About partisanship, Washington said that it would lead to a “spirit of revenge”. He warned that men with strong allegiances to a political party would not govern for the good of the people, but only to obtain and maintain their grip on power.
Today there is an annual tradition in the U.S. Senate that persists. On or about Washington’s birthday a senator reads “Washington’s Farewell Address” on the floor of the Senate. It would behoove modern day politicians and indeed all Americans, to reflect on Washington’s parting words.
See a reprint of Washington’s Farewell Address in the Charles William Burdick Family papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.
Washington’s Farewell Address #500: Charles William Burdick Family Papers
