LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

In his farewell address, Washington thanks the American people for supporting him and their country with zeal. However, he also points out some political freedoms, if left unchecked, could destroy the political unity of the nation, or in a greater sense, dismantle the foundation of the nation. Washington reminds the American people that they are a part of one nation, and while there are some varying perspectives and beliefs between the members of different regions (Northern, Southern, Atlantic, Western regions), the people should remind themselves that they are held together by their common political beliefs, their patriotism, and their economic interdependence. Washington furthers enforces political unity by reminding the colonists of the evils of sectionalism, making it known that no state government should ever attempt to secede from the union. Aside from the necessity of maintaing political unity,Washington points out other dangers, such as political problems that are created by an increasingly large amount of political factions. Political factions represent a wide spectrum of beliefs that deviate from common convictions of the people. Washington provides examples of how this deviation can be a problem by warning the American people that political factions obstruct the development of laws and weaken the power of the constitutional branches. Washington asks the American people to prevent these problems from ever occuring. In order to achieve this, Washing states that the people should lead a religious and moral lifestyle. Not only would lead to both private and public happiness, but it would also allow America's democratic government to flourish.