A Sacred Union of Citizens: George Washington's Farewell Address and the American Character

by Matthew Spalding, Patrick J. Garrity, Daniel J. Boorstin (Introduction)

This book is a major contribution to Washington scholarship.―Washington Times

Genres: History, American History, Politics, Nonfiction, American

236 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1996

Reviews

[Donn Headley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader is struck by at least two wonders in following the strong arguments of the authors in this bicentennial analysis of President Washington's Farewell Address (1796): How prescient Washington was in charting both the benefits and the hazards of a republican society that would play out in the years to come; and how tragically his nation has forgotten or ignored his advice. Instead of united under the banner of "American," we snipe and tear at one another; instead of seeking opportunities to serve one another in community, we focus on what we can get for ourselves; instead of being morally guided by what we ought to do, we scramble and contend with one another to attain what we desire. Washington warned that this disunity, selfishness, and acquisitiveness would lead to the demise of our republic. Through the Address, Washington calls upon us, his "Friends and Fellow-Citizens" to return to and stand upon both the spirit and letter of the Constitution. The government delineated in that document, remarkably having changed minimally since the time of the Address, as Washington reminds us, is "the offspring of our own choice uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and your support." The authors' thesis in this detailed (even overly-meticulous and often repetitive) treatment is to call for American citizens to turn and return to the wisdom set forth in Washington's Farewell Address. It would be beneficial for more Americans to read and take heed.

[Bryn D · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth analysis of the Washington's Farewell Address, Dr. Matthew Spalding, author of "We Still Hold These Truths" reminds us that Washington's Farewell Address is one of the timeless documents in American history that has fallen to the wayside in popular acodemic study but still contains valuable insight into Washington's vision of America. A very well written and uplifting portrait of Washington's desire to see America flurish as a land of liberty and prosperity.