George Washington's Farewell Address

19 September 1796: ink on newsprint

David C. Claypoole printed Washington's public letter, addressed to the people of the United States, in Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser in Philadelphia on 19 September 1796. The document carried a 17 September dateline.

It was a newspaper letter, not a speech delivered before an audience. Washington announced that he would not be a candidate in the approaching presidential election, publicly confirming his retirement after two completed terms.

Other newspapers reprinted it promptly, and it also circulated as a pamphlet.

What the letter argued

The letter warned that excessive party spirit could inflame hostility, weaken government and create channels for foreign influence and corruption. It did not condemn every function of parties; the text conceded that parties could sometimes check government.

In foreign affairs, Washington advised avoiding permanent alliances while allowing temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies. He did not advocate complete diplomatic isolation.

Whose words, and which date

The ideas were Washington's, but Alexander Hamilton reorganized and drafted much of the language, subject to Washington's revision and final approval. James Madison had prepared the 1792 draft that became the project's starting point, and John Jay reviewed Hamilton's reorganized draft paragraph by paragraph.

Washington copied the printer's manuscript in his own hand; Claypoole kept it with the president's permission.

The editors of the Papers of George Washington state that the reason for the 17 September dateline is unclear, perhaps reflecting the date Washington returned the final revise.