A Farewell to a New Nation 4 A Country Built on Freedom 6 Setting Up a New Government 8 The First President 10 The First Cabinet 12 George Washington Says Good-bye 14 Keeping the United States United 16 The Danger of Political Parties 18 Morality Is the Country’s Backbone 20 A Warning About Foreign Affairs 22 Always Follow the Constitution 24 Be Careful of Debt 26 The Lasting Power of His Farewell 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 CONTENTS
A FAREWELL TO A NEW NATION By 1796 the first president of the United States George Washington had been elected to the office two times After eight years as president he refused to run for a third term Before leaving office he wanted to thank the people He also wanted to inspire the new country to grow strong and stay independent He gave his advice to the new country in what became known as his Farewell Address Washington presented the address in the form of a letter that was published in George Washington served as president for two terms but refused to run for a third term 4
a Philadelphia newspaper on September 19 1796 Washington’s Farewell Address is a primary source that we can study to learn more about our first president We learn about history from primary and secondary sources Primary sources are artifacts documents or other sources of information that were created at the time being studied Secondary sources were created after that time Washington recorded his expenses in this book which is a primary source for studying his life Primary sources let us know what people thought about events when they were happening What might other advantages of primary sources be Think About It 5
