George Washington's Farewell Address

        George Washington's life was intertwined with the early history of the republic that he became President of. He began his career as a public servant by surveying the western frontier of America. He then went on to defend that frontier in the Virginia militia, and then the entire thirteen colonies as the Continental Commander-in-Chief. It was he who kept the Constitutional Convention in order. And when the final decision was made, George Washington was the …

…of his experience to the whole country. He was concerned, but confident, that once the American people were alerted to the problem, they would diligently work to get rid of it. And they did. Washington's words about partisan politics were lost in the storm of Federalist-Republican conflict, but his advice on foriegn policy was heeded and echoed by statesmen for most of the nineteenth century, and continues to be a force in political dialogue today.