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
A COUNTRY BUILT ON FREEDOM In the 1600s and 1700s people from Great Britain set up colonies in America At first the colonists had lots of freedom even though they were under British rule They chose their own leaders and made their own laws In the 1750s and 60s the British and colonists fought the French and Indian War against the French It was very costly Britain taxed the colonies to help pay for the war Colonists were mad about being Washington fought for the British in the French and Indian War 6
taxed especially because they had no representation in British government In 1775 the colonists began fighting the American Revolution to win their freedom from Britain George Washington was chosen to lead the colonial armed forces On July 4 1776 representatives of the thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence It announced that they were free from Great Britain and famously said that all men are created equal and their rights include life liberty and the pursuit of happiness Is the Declaration of Independence a primary source Think About It The Declaration of Independence announced that the thirteen American colonies were no longer under British rule 7
