Introduction
On 19th September 1796, fatigued by attacks from political opponents and weights of the presidency, George Washington declared his intention not to run for the third term. He had served for two consecutive terms as the first president of the United States of America. With the help of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, Washington composed a letter in Philadelphia in what later became described as the “Farewell Address.” Intended to guide and inspire future generations, the discourse described Washington’s protection of his government’s record and exemplified a typical statement of Federalist policy.
The address began as a draft anchored in Madison’s old notes then edited and revised by Hamilton. While Alexander Hamilton reviewed the address, he ensured to maintain the key points in the letter before passing it for finalization by Washington. The president warned the country of creating any alliance with oversea states and reiterated the significance of prioritizing America to facilitate prosperity rather than being dragged down by self-centered needs vouched by alliances. In his wisdom, Washington enumerated two biggest dangers to American success: foreign wars and political parties. He urged the Americans to avert entanglement with European conflicts and political partisanship. While Washington openly highlighted many things in his letter, the major items he felt were of utmost importance included avoiding forming foreign alliances, limiting political power, and strengthening religion.
Avoiding Foreign Alliances
The key concern Washington raised continually is preventing the creation of lasting foreign coalitions. He stated that “have as little political connection as possible” (National Archives, 1796, Para 36). George views forming foreign alliances as just drawing benefits from America for the supplies and strong coalitions but the receivers might never return the favor. Having many overseas unions also infer several affairs to handle. Any minor snag may result in bigger challenges between member states. If war ensues, then it will trigger forming alliances with other partners. The situation could make America engage in a conflict against an oversea country that one might not know just because they are biased towards a certain member state. Allegiance will rapidly foment unfair fighting since America could resort to bias, hence, no need of forming permanent coalitions. Lack of forming foreign unions also avert emotive linkage with other countries. Emotive linkage could make member states exploit America due to the generosity it has extended to them. Therefore, a foreign country would prosper due to the help received and America would gradually wear out from such alliances.
Washington downplays the idea of creating oversea alliances since the perceived dangers outweigh the benefits. Contemporary governments have not strictly followed Washington’s warnings as observed in various alliances embraced by America. For example, the U.S. joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1949 to give security and freedom to its members through military and political means. Over the years, NATO has engaged in controversial missions and America’s name has been dragged in such undertakings. For instance, the 2011 NATO-led operations in Libya sparked debate worldwide. In another scenario, NATO has supported Ukraine with financial and military equipment since the illegitimate and illegal seizure of Crimea in 2014 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 2022). These show that present-day leadership has less regard for the ideas expressed by Washington in his farewell address.
Restraining Political Powers
As part of his farewell letter, Washington warned of restricting the political power by distributing controls to separate arms of government. He viewed this will avert one ruler to subdue other branches, resulting in the misuse of bestowed powers that could culminate in damaging the country. In the letter, it is detailed as “a customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed” (National Archives, 1796, Para 25). Washington meant that power should be practically divided equally and fairly among various branches of government.
Strengthening Religion
Firming religion is significant since it is a vital aspect of the popular regime. Specifically, Washington states that religion is “a necessary spring of popular government” (National Archives, 1798, Para 27). He believed that religion should be integrated into a government since faith shapes the ethics and morals of an individual. Therefore, implementing any religion would result in a country with principles that can reduce any desire to engage in warfare. It is agreeable with Washington’s views of embracing religion in a country. It does not matter which religion but promoting all faith such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism all help in shaping morals as a people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Washington’s farewell address offered insightful teachings that America should embrace to shape future generations. He knew that America would have a new administration after the end of his tenure and that the person taking over might not be knowledgeable and concerned with caring for the whole country. Therefore, the address warns of various issues that should be shunned to ensure a prosperous America. Items of utmost importance include avoiding forming foreign alliances, limiting pollical power, and strengthening religion. Washington desires a prosperous and peaceful America after exiting the realms of power.
References
National Archives. (1796). Farewell address, 19 September 1796. Web.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (2022). NATO steps up support for Ukraine, strengthens deterrence and defence. Web.