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