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George Washington Farewell Address Analysis

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In 1796 George Washington wrote his Farewell Address towards the end of his second term as president, close to his retirement. Washington wrote this letter in an attempt to warn the nation of things that could threaten America. According to him, this included unity, factions, morality, and America as part of the rest of the world. First of all, after announcing his retirement, Washington makes the point of America’s unity and the need to cherish it. He states that “it is a main pillar in the edifice of [American’s] real independence, the support of [American’s] tranquility at home, [American’s] peace abroad; of [American’s] safety; of [American’s] prosperity; of that very liberty which [American’s] so highly prize” (Washington, 1796). This unity is a vital part of America and should not be taken for …show more content…

These factions will sound pleasing and great but will have a “real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency” (Washington, 1796). He makes the point that America is about giving power to the people and that these factions can try to destroy that. Every American should follow under the Constitution until or unless America’s people decide to change the Constitution. The Constitution is “sacredly obligatory upon all” (Washington, 1796). While these faction parties look good and seem to have good ideas for the common good, over time they will hurt the Union. Today, there are a lot of factions in our society. The biggest example of today’s factions is that America’s government is divided into Republicans and Democrats. While America still stands together as a unified whole, having two different parties fighting for the government can put some strain on political decisions. This includes topics such as abortion, same sex marriage, and gun control which are divided in

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