Washington's Inaugural Address and Final Address

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses President George Washington's first inaugural address, given in 1789 and his final, departing address as President, given in 1796. The paper compares and contrasts the two addresses and highlights two major continuities in both of Washington's speeches: his genuine reluctance to be President and his disdain for party politics.

From the Paper:

"To close, there are many similarities between the First Inaugural Address of Washington and his final address as President. Most of all, Washington remains steadfast in his contempt of party politics and is consistent in his absence of a driving ambition that made the Presidency anything other than a duty that had to be fulfilled. Yet, God is noticeably less prominent in his second address, and one is left to wonder if the increased prominence of the Constitution suggests that it has almost taken on a sort of religious significance to America's First President. In the end, while Washington may have been unswerving in his revulsion of some things, his affection for other things grew with time."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Washington, George. "First Inaugural Address in the City of New York." Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States. 2005. Bartleby.com. 14 Jun. 2007 <http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres13.html>
• Washington, George. "George Washington's Farewell Address to the People of the United States." Archiving Early America. 2007. Archiving Early America. 14 Jun. 2007 <http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/farewell/text.html>

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