On September 19, 1796, The Daily American Advertiser published a letter by George Washington known as Washington's Farewell Address. In the farewell address, he included three main principles:

1. Importance of Unity - not to put their regional and sectional interests above the interests of the nation as a whole. You have in a common cause fought and triumphed together, Washington declared. The Independence and Liberty you possess are the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes.

Regions such as North, South, East, and West should see their common interests rather than their differences, he continued. Your Union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty and...the love of the one ought to endear you to the preservation of the other.

2. The 'Worst Enemy' of Government: Loyalty to Party Over Nation - When Americans voted according to party loyalty, rather than the common interest of the nation, Washington feared it would foster a spirit of revenge, and enable the rise of cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men who would usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

3. Danger of Foreign Entanglements - partisanship would open the door to foreign influence and corruption. While he advocated for the United States to be on good terms with all nations, especially commercial relations, he argued that inveterate antipathies against particular Nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded. Although Washington saw the need for the nation to involve itself in foreign affairs in the case of war or another emergency, he argued that it must steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. (Pruitt, 2020).

Were Washington's words wise or naive? Was or is there any way the government could abide by his words? How did or do outside forces contribute to U.S. policies?