George Washington's Warning

[Keith Broaders]

George Washington's Warning

Washington saw that threats against the preservation of the union were already forming, he stressed that the country must not let that happen. Regional sectionalism, or the placement of local politics and pride above that of nation, was one of his major concerns. He could see the divide already happening with the issue of slavery. New England had already begun abolishing slavery, and northern states were beginning to follow their lead. In the south, however, the economy was becoming more and more dependent on the use of slaves.

Washington identified a second internal threat: the proliferation of political parties. It was his opinion that the country would never reach its full potential if people began to put the interest of their political party over the common interest of the nation as a whole. In-fighting between the Hamilton-led Federalists and the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans had already begun to get in the way of good governance. He argued that political parties would subvert the will of the people for the will of the few. Washington saw that political parties were both divisive and a tool that could be used to deceive the common people by those who sought power for power's sake.

Neutrality in Foreign Affairs
Washington's final, and arguably his most important warning, was that the country should not become entrenched in the affairs of foreign nations, especially those that do not align with the values that America sought to emulate. He advised that, in getting involved with these foreign countries, there was the threat of allowing their affairs to influence America's domestic policies, pulling the country away from the values upon which it was created. He did not, however, advocate for complete isolation. Rather, he suggested that the United States should be on friendly terms with other countries, but that it should not become overly close with any particular nation.

Elected officials take an oath to preserve, protect and defend rthe Constitution and represnt the people. Today Congress repremts the financial interests of the Wall Street Bankers and the financial elite.