George Washington's Farewell Address

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Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of the second term of his presidency before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon in Virginia. The letter was first published as The Address of Gen. Washington to the People of America on His Declining the Presidency of the United States in Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796, about ten weeks before the presidential electors cast their votes in the 1796 election. In it, he writes about the importance of national unity while warning Americans of the political dangers of regionalism, partisanship, and foreign influence, which they must avoid to remain true to their values. It was almost immediately reprinted in newspapers around the country, and later in pamphlet form. The first draft was originally prepared by James Madison in June 1792, as Washington contemplated...

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