Dear Friends,
In week 7 in our countdown to July 4, 2026 we are going to read George Washington's Farewell Address. This ties in with our assignments in week 6, the movie "The American Miracle" and also with week 3 where we watched the film "Monumental."
From the movie we see the importance of George Washington to the Revolution and also to the new Constitution created in Independence Hall. From the movie Monumental we see virtues deemed important for the success of the Pilgrims and we see the connections to Washington's references to virtue and morality.
You can get free online copies of George Washington's Farewell Address. My copy is a small bound booklet. I marked it up. I numbered the paragraphs and found that there are 45 paragraphs. I thought it would take me 45 minutes to read it, but I clocked it at 1 hour 11 minutes because I had two interruptions.
I must say that the writing style from that era is very wordy. It was published on September 19, 1796, 20 years after the Declaration of Independence. People back then began to view wordy writing as a hindrance. Herbert Spencer wrote "The Philosophy of Style" in 1892 to recommend more succinct writing. I thought that this important work could stand some editing, so I asked ChatGPT to summarize it. I actually got 20 different summaries. At the end of this email I will include 2 of these summaries.
I strongly urge you to read the entire document yourself with a highlighter and pencil and mark up what you find important. Then review what you marked up and decide what made the most impact upon you. Remember that Washington worked hard to write this for guidance to our new nation. We must respect his intellect and his intentions.
When you watched the movie "The American Miracle" you might not have picked up on how important Washington's presence was at the Constitutional Convention. If he was absent, it might not have happened or been successful. Washington presided over the convention. And without Washington the Revolution probably would not have succeeded. He was the father of our country because of the Revolution and the Constitution.
What made the most impact on me were these three lines. In paragraph 26 he wrote "Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports." And later in paragraph 26 he said, "And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion." Then in paragraph 27 he wrote, "It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government."
These references to morality and religion are probably why the atheists who have taken control of the public schools have dropped George Washington's Farewell Address from the classrooms.
Now let us reflect on the movie "Monumental." The monument highlights four virtues: faith, morality, law, and education. Then the result of these virtues is liberty.
The Pilgrims told us that our liberty depends on faith and morality. Washington told us that our government depends on morality and religion.
Do you see how this all ties together? You might want to go back to the Monumental film and skip forward to the virtues depicted in the Monument and review them.
Rereading week 2, I see that I gave two assignments at once: (1) Read the Mayflower Compact and (2) then see the film Monumental. Here's the link to that week:
That kind of throws off the counting. I should have titled the email "weeks 2 and 3". Sorry about that. I am juggling a lot of things now. I have renumbered the blog postings so that weeks 2 and 3 are in the same posting. Then I renumbered the rest of the posts.
Below I give 2 summaries of George Washington's Farewell Address from ChatGPT.
Robert
Short Overview
George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796) is both his retirement announcement and a lasting set of political principles. He expresses gratitude for the people’s trust, explains why he is stepping down, and warns against dangers to the republic—especially political parties, sectional divisions, excessive public debt, and entangling foreign alliances. He urges unity, morality, religion, education, fiscal responsibility, and neutrality in foreign affairs as the pillars of America’s long-term stability and liberty.
Here’s a 3–5 minute oral summary script you can use for teaching or public speaking:
In 1796, after serving two terms, George Washington announced his decision to retire from the presidency. His Farewell Address was both a personal goodbye and a lasting statement of principles for the young nation.
Washington began by expressing deep gratitude for the trust and support of the American people. He admitted his own limitations and said that any success of his presidency was due to their confidence and the blessing of Providence. He explained that he was stepping down not out of diminished devotion, but because the country was stable enough to thrive without him.
The heart of his message focused on warnings for the future. Above all, he emphasized the importance of national unity. He reminded Americans that the Union was the foundation of independence, peace, prosperity, and liberty. He cautioned against regional divisions—North versus South, East versus West—that could weaken the bonds of common interest.
Washington also warned against the “baneful effects of the spirit of party.” Political factions, he said, might seem useful at times, but in truth they create jealousy, division, and open the door to corruption and even tyranny. He feared that parties could allow cunning leaders to place their own ambitions above the public good.
He stressed the need for constitutional respect and balance. Each branch of government must stay within its limits, and changes to the system should come only through lawful amendments, never through usurpation. Even small violations of the Constitution, he warned, set dangerous precedents that erode liberty.
Washington also highlighted the moral foundations of republican government. He insisted that religion and morality were indispensable supports for public and private life, and he urged the promotion of education so that citizens would be enlightened in their opinions. He further counseled fiscal responsibility: avoid unnecessary debt, pay off what is owed in times of peace, and accept taxation as a necessary burden of freedom.
On foreign affairs, Washington was clear: while the United States should trade with all nations, it should avoid permanent political alliances. He advised neutrality, warning against both passionate attachments and habitual hatreds toward other nations. America’s independence, he said, depended on steering its own course, free from the intrigues and rivalries of Europe.
In closing, Washington reflected on his years of service. He admitted to possible errors but hoped they would be forgiven, and he looked forward to retirement as a private citizen under the protection of a free government. His parting words expressed his enduring wish for America’s unity, liberty, and happiness.
Washington’s Farewell Address remains one of the most influential political documents in American history. Its themes—unity, moderation, morality, fiscal prudence, and independence in foreign affairs—continue to echo in debates about the nation’s direction even today.
