The Senate Still Reads Washington's Farewell Addres

As the first president of the United States, George Washington yielded immense power to set precedents for his successors. In his Farewell Address, he emphasized his beliefs about certain issues still plaguing the U.S. today: the preservation of the union, the danger of factions, religion and morality, and America's role in the world. For a deeper discussion of those points, click here.


Over two hundred years later, the Senate is still looking to Washington for advice and encouragement, as supported by their annual tradition of reading his Farewell Address. Each year one senator is selected to read the address out loud, and the reading is followed by the writing of small notes which are maintained by the secretary of the Senate.


What this article pointed out was the hypocrisy of this practice: a very bipartisan legislature championing the ideas of a man who condemned political factions, long term foreign alliances, and the division of American unity.