Primary Source of George Washington's Farewell Address

Washington's Farewell Address: The Importance of Faith and Morality in the Public Paragraph 20

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men & citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man ought to respect & to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private & public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the Oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure--reason & experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of Free Government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric.

According to George Washington, What is the greatest habit that leads to Political Prosperity?  A free Government run by the people?  Nope. Economic Security?  Nope.  George Washington states here emphatically that they are "Religion and Morality".  Of all the questions I'm asked about George Washington, his faith is the top vote getter.  I will discuss in greater detail the answer in a future post.  However, we see emphatically here that George Washington believes that of all the things a person could do to support the government, having faith and living by it, was the number one priority.  He asks, "Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life if the sense of religious obligation desert the Oaths?"  If there is not basis of truth, if there is no basis of right or wrong, if people simply measured truth by what was good for them, our whole system would crumble.  William Penn amply noted that "Men must be ruled by God or they will be ruled by tyrants."  G. W. is noting a similar concept.  A society of laws is based on rules, moral rules.  Where do these moral rules come from?  God.  If they don't, people will be ruled by tyrants.  He says that "Let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion."  He warns that morality is based on religion.  That an outside force must set the rules and maintain the rules.  If the "players" were trusted with that, there would be chaos.  Many people at the time, argued that morality could be maintained by a sense of duty.  George Washington argues that that duty will flow from religion.  Sure there are good people with no religious affiliation, but history shows us clearly they are the exception rather than the rule.  George Washington also states "In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men & citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man ought to respect & to cherish them"  If any man tries to subvert religion he is no friend to the republic.  He is trying to destroy the very pillars of our great republic.  This paragraph is really astonishing to me.  George Washington would be considered today a religious right-winger by saying these things in public.  He is actively countering the Separation of Church and State argument that so many profess as truth today.  Many today say with such confidence that this is how the founding fathers set it up.    That the Church should not influence the state.  This simply isn't true.  It is a fallacy.  As you can read with your own eyes, George Washington would have denounced this.  In fact he would go a step farther and call a person that advocates against religion influencing the republic, "unpatriotic."  I believe if George Washington could come back to America today, he would be horrified, that's right, horrified by the war on faith in the public sector in America.  He would denounce it not only as an attack on religion, but on the United States itself.  Those are strong words, but after reading paragraph 20, I really can't see it in a different light.  I'm actually astonished by this finding, but after reading this, he is quite clear in this thoughts on the emotionally charged subject of faith in government.

Washington's Farewell Address: Dangers of Division Paragraph 8,9

8 Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment.
9 The unity of Government, which constitutes you one people, is also now dear to you. It is justly so; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very Liberty, which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee, that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment, that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national Union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the Palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion, that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.



Liberty and unity are interlaced in George Washington's mind.  Here was a provincial Virginian gentleman who had seen the United Colonies become the United States.  G.W. was once a man of Virginia, but now he is an American.  During the American Revolution he had the opportunity to work alongside men from all parts of the country.  While President he traveled to the states of the new Union, particularly focusing on the North.  Here in the 8th and 9th paragraphs he implores the people to closely guard against division from those who would foment it from within and from without.  The people would not listen and seventy years later the nation descended into Civil War.  Now, to be clear, Washington is not advocating Union at any cost.  He goes on later to talk about this concept.  Fake Unity is employed temporarily to later digress into deeper division.  Unity based on nothing isn't unity.  But Unity based on a cause, creed, shared dependency, is a lasting union.  He is though warning the people to guard genuine unity closely.  Without it, our great Nation falls.  I wonder what George Washington would think of the 99% vs. 1% debate being discussed today, or the Blue State vs. Red State talked about by the pundits.  I wonder what George Washington would think of Party Politics and pundits division of voting blocs for upcoming elections.  I wonder what George Washington would say about the pandering of our politicians today to every special interest.

Washington's Farewell Address: Roles of Citizenship Paragraph 16

16 To the efficacy and permanency of your Union, a Government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict, between the parts can be an adequate substitute; they must inevitably experience the infractions and interruptions, which all alliances in all times have experienced. Sensible of this momentous truth, you have improved upon your first essay, by the adoption of a Constitution of Government better calculated than your former for an intimate Union, and for the efficacious management of your common concerns. This Government, the offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and your support. Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true Liberty. The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish Government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established Government.

Here George Washington lays out the roles of citizenship.  He plainly states that the People of the United States have improved upon the former government (Articles of Confederation) with this new Constitutional Government.  The people themselves had thoughtfully developed and debated this Constitution.  They had put in provisions for its amendment, if so needed.  True liberty now, would be to follow its dictates.  Often people think freedom is complete freedom from rules.  However, this is not the case.  That is slavery to passion.  True liberty is designing a system that produces the end result you have in mind and then playing by the rules.  If the rules need to be amended, there must be an explicit set of rules to be followed to do so.  Any subjection of this rules is an act of tyranny.  Rules are to be followed and if need be, changed by proper means.  Thus these rules are "sacredly obligatory upon all."  It is the duty of citizens until that time to "obey the established Government."  How much more should a free people follow the rules they themselves have set up?  Some of you must be asking, "This from the leader of a rebellion against his own government?"  True, but a look at Washington's actions leading up to the rebellion is a man who worked tirelessly in the British Parliamentary system to effect change.  In the Declaration of Independence they in fact state what they had tried to reason with their British Brethen.  Washington was no ruffian, he worked within the Parliamentary system to effect change, but realized the system he was acting under no longer existed under the dictorial powers of the King.

Washington's Farewell Address: Paragraph 3

“The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto in, the office to which your suffrages have twice called me, have been a uniform sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a deference for what appeared to be your desire. I constantly hoped, that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives, which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement, from which I had been reluctantly drawn. The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last election, had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence impelled me to abandon the idea.”

This above paragraph is the third paragraph of Washington’s address. I find in it a summation of the heart of Washington, especially towards the end of his life, of a deep desire to retreat from public life to his beloved Mount Vernon.  There is no question that early in his life Washington is full of ambition and desire for notoriety, struggling with the desire for an appearance of humility, but in the end of his life, it does seem that he sincerely desires rest from public life.  However, as he states above, duty triumphed over personal wishes.  Washington was called to the aid of his country twice at times of great turmoil.  The first being the American Revolution and the second, (on the verge of dissolution), to run the newly founded Constitution government.  He states plainly that he wished to step down after the first term as President, but he was unanimously encouraged to stay in the post for a second term.  Fighting sickness, a terrible tumor like infection in his leg, and political infighting, Washington returned to serve another term to hold together his country like no other man of his day could have.  Yet, after eight years he gives into his “inclination” to retire and return to Mt. Vernon.  This idea of Duty and sacrifice, and his love of his time at Mt. Vernon, firmly are ingrained in the life of Washington

Washington's Farewell Address

Washington's Farewell Address is in my estimation is one of the most compelling documents in American History.  It is a farewell letter from the founding father to his child:  The USA.  We often find out the heart of people in their final statements.  He sets out his hopes, desires, fears, warnings, and thankfulness to the present and future generations of Americans.  In this document he not only talks about current situations in the 18th century American landscape, he address his political philosophy and his views of the human heart.  In the next few posts, I will break down the farewell address and not only will we learn more about the man, you might even wonder out loud about how GW would have viewed the current state of the American Republic today

A look into Washington's Life

So excited to be on this journey with you!