George Washington's Farewell Address

This day, in 1796, George Washington officially announced for the first time that he was going to retire.  The stories of Washington's character and leadership are numerous, however, one of the most telling things that Washington did was after he announced that he would not run for the office of President for a third term.  When Washington was done, he simply returned to his farm.  Man's lust for power is well-documented from the fall of Adam and Eve until present time.  The need for power seems to be in our DNA.  However, after Washington’s victory over the British at Yorktown, King George III asked American-born portrait painter Benjamin West what Washington planned to do now that he had won the war.  West answered: “They say he will return to his farm.”

King George replied: “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

Known as his most famous address, Washington never publicly gave his 'Farewell Adress" but instead had it published in the newspaper, Philadelphia’s American Daily Advertiser.  The address covers 32 hand-written pages and is somewhat hard to understand.  Therefore, I have highlighted a few points that resonated with me.  They are as follows:

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 labor to subvert these great Pillars… Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.

And of fatal tendency…to put, in the place of the delegated will of the Nation, the will of a party; – often a small but artful and enterprising minority… They are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the Power of the People and to usurp for the themselves the reins of Government; destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion…

       Washington concluded:

Let there be no change by usurpation (wrongful seizure of power)…It is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed.

Describing the farewell address in his book on the life of Washington, Henry Cabot Lodge wrote "...no man ever left a nobler political testament."  

I believe we would do well to heed Washington's advice in this current time.