Joseph Sabino Mistick: George Washington’s warning

There have been some great speeches made by presidents of the United States, and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is at the top of most lists. On his train ride to the bloodied Civil War battlefield in central Pennsylvania, Lincoln wrote 272 words that continue to inspire and serve us.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1933 inaugural address occurred while the nation was being wracked by the Great Depression. Fear and despair were everywhere, but Roosevelt met them head-on and declared “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He gave Americans hope and reshaped government.

When John F. Kennedy was sworn in, he called on all Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” And when he said that “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans,” we knew that the young president was talking to us and challenging us to do better.

We all know that words can be dangerous, too, when uttered by despots or spit out by haters and bigots. Words are easily used to divide us. But when we need to find words that remind us how to stay true to our national values and virtues, we can always find wisdom from the past.

And George Washington’s Farewell Address to the nation is more important than ever right now. It was first published in the American Daily Advertiser under the headline “The Address of Gen. Washington to the People of America on His Declining the Presidency of the United States.”

Washington tried to retire in 1792, when he was talked into staying for a second term as a way to prevent an early national crisis between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. But he believed that two terms were enough, and the parting message he had for America was redrafted and released in 1796, just before the election of his successor.

The man who could have been king knew that many Americans feared the future without his leadership. He urged them to have faith in the Constitution and the strength of a unified nation, but he also warned them of the grave dangers ahead if they were not vigilant.

Speaking as “an old and affectionate friend,” Washington warned Americans against “the mischiefs of foreign intrigue” and urged them to guard against “the impostures of pretended patriotism.” Real patriots must resist foreign influence on our government.

Washington also said that the dominance of one political faction over another only leads to “despotism.” And despotism gradually causes “men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual” who is only interested in “his own elevation.”

Washington was good to his word when it came to foreign interference. In 1793, when French Ambassador Citizen Genet raised American troops to fight for France against Britain, Washington demanded that France recall Genet. And the new French government issued an arrest warrant for him.

Since 1896, Washington’s Farewell Address has been read every year in the U.S. Senate to commemorate his birthday. This year, when a senator reads Washington’s warnings, we will see who listens.