The Analysis of the Washington farewell
Introduction
The farewell speech of Washington is a historical reference in the history of America. Washington used the speech to tell the citizens as a way to indicate that he was retiring from the office. In the farewell speech, he addressed some things that would one way, or another affect the living of the people and the country itself. For example, he talked about the importance of unity in all the states; he advised the citizens to live as members of the same country and not to live as members of a loose confederation of states. He said that he was not going to give anyone a chance to tear the country apart using regional parties. It is also evident in the speech that Washington did not the like the idea of many parties in the country, as he believed that the parties will disrupt the government's operations. The idea of morality and religion were not left behind in the speech delivered by Washington. He acknowledged that morality and religion were the great pillars of human happiness. The citizens of America were also encouraged to cherish the public credit. The idea was that everyone was to use the public credit with moderation.
The Themes
It is evident that Washington was determined to retire from power, even though some people had advised him to abandon that idea (Washington, 1796). Washington emphasized on the unity of the American people. He portrayed how the unity of the government was so important to the people of America (Spalding & Garrity, 1996, 65). According to Washington, the prosperity of the people of America and peace would only be brought by national unity. The reason for encouraging the unity of the government was to show the following: first, Washington wanted the people to feel as citizens of one country and not as members of states. The other aspect that Washington wanted to put across was the celebration of the new constitution, which was better than the previous one. Through the new constitution, no one was to be given the chance to tear into parts the country of America, especially by the use of regional parties (Washington, 1796).
In the speech, it is depicted that Washington was as a person who had a negative attitude in the formation of many parties (Spalding & Garrity, 1996, 37). He felt that the different parties would interfere with the projects of the government and as a result, the government would get a negative image in eyes of the citizens. It is evident that during the terms he was in office, Washington saw the negative impact of the parties, which destroyed the best men in his cabinet. He did not convey the idea that his government was perfect, but he said it was good and was able to manage the great concerns of the people. The citizens were warned against those individuals that pretended to be so caring while in reality, they were filled with ill intentions. The greatest worry in the country according to Washington was the violation of the constitution, which mainly was constructed to protect the freedoms of the people of America. Among those factors that assisted the administration of Washington to prosper were religion and morality (Washington, 1796).
According to Washington, the two great pillars of human happiness are morality and religion (Spalding & Garrity, 1996, 5). He acknowledged the good work done by the men and women of the country. The virtue imposed by morality cannot be maintained in the absence of religion thus for every government to prosper well in all its operations, morality virtues had to be adhered to. For every member of the country to be aware of the virtues to be applied, then proper institutions needed to be created to pass that knowledge to the citizens (Washington, 1796).
The issue of using the public credit in moderation was another key thing in the speech delivered by Washington (Spalding & Garrity, 1996, 77). He reminded the people that each and every person needs to avoid (as much as possible) the accumulation of debts. The way to achieve this was not only avoiding the occasions of the expenses but also to maintain peace in the country that in turn would save people from debts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the speech that Washington delivered had a lot of important issues that all the members of the country were supposed to hear. The need for unity of the states was an urgent thing if the people were in need of continuous prosperity in the country. It was the will of Washington to see that all Americans live like people of the same country and not stay as people from loose confederation states. It is also evident from the speech that Washington did not like the idea of many parties in the country, as he believed that many parties will ruin the country's reputation. The citizens of the America were also reminded that it was very important to adhere to all the virtues imposed by morality and religion. Washington explained how morality and religion had played an important role in the prosperity of his government. To sum up the key themes in the speech, the issue of using the public credit in moderation also was explained. Washington encouraged the people to avoid all the scenarios that would lead to debts and problems later in life. Indeed, the speech was meant to make every member of the country to reflect about their future lives.
References
Spalding, M., & Garrity, P. J. (1996). A sacred union of citizens: George Washington's farewell
Washington, G. (1796). Washington's Farewell Address. Presentation, U.S.
