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George Washington was America’s first president that served 2 terms consecutively. Ending his second term, he decided to write a letter in Philadelphia in 1796 that became later known as the Farewell Address. The letter started as a draft that was based off of James Madison’s old notes and drafts, and then was revised and edited by Alexander Hamilton. Although Hamilton revised the letter, he made sure to keep the main points of the letter and then the letter was passsed on then finalized by Washington. The letter warned the nation of forming any alliances with foreign nations and the importance of prioritizing America before anyone else because we must prosper instead of getting dragged down by the selfish needs of other alliances. Although Washington explicitly described numerous meanings, the main aspects of the Farewell Address included: strengthening the religion, limiting the political power, and avoiding too many foreign alliances.
Strengthening the religion is important because it is “a necessary spring of popular government.” The main reason that Washington believes religion should be incorporated into a government is because he believes that religion shapes a person’s morals and ethics. So, enforcing a certain religion would lead a nation full of similar morals which reduce conflict. On the contrary, I firmly believe that government who advocate and enforce a certain religion or belief will only cause further tension within the nation itself. You can change the minds of few, but you may never change the viewpoint or mindset of everyone. Limiting the political power was stated in the Farewell Address by dividing power into separate branches of government to prevent a single ruler to overpower all the other branches leading to misuse of powers that could ultimately harm the nation. Washington stated “a customary weapon by which free government is destroyed” is practically stating that power should be fairly and equally divided among numerous branches of government. I agree with this statement because there have been many instances where a single ruler, democracy/monarch, can misuse their power and completely destroy a nation due to their ignorant and selfish desires.
Lastly, the main concern that George Washington repeatedly states is avoiding forming permanent foreign alliances. Washington stated “have with them as little political connection as possible” because they simply take advantage of America for its supplies and strong alliance but may never repay the favor. More alliances also simply means more affairs to deal with and minor complications could soon lead to larger complications between different nations and if war breaks out then you must form an alliance with your allied partners. This could lead to America fighting a war against a foreign nation you don’t know simply because you’re biased towards the group that you have already formed an alliance with. Loyalty will quickly turn into an unfair war because America decided to be biased so we must not form permanent alliances. Another category that falls under the topic of foreign alliances would be to avoid emotional attachment to another nation. This emotional attachment could lead to them taking an advantage of America because we were weak-hearted and gave them everything they desired. So as a foreign nation prospered due to America, America itself would slowly wear itself out.
Overall, George Washington created the Farewell Address because he knew that finishing his term as president would mean America would have a new president that may not be knowledgeable about all the quirks and responsibilities of caring for an entire nation. So, Washington decided to write the letter to warn and inform the citizens and government of possible future complications that may be overlooked. There may have been numerous issues and concerns stated in the Farewell Address but the main aspects of the letter were about strengthening the religion, limiting the political power, and avoiding too many foreign alliances.
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