Document of the Month:

One of the most famous documents in American history, George Washington's Farewell Address, is preserved in its first draft in the collections of the New York State Library.

Penned in Washington's own handwriting, complete with strike-outs and corrections, the 19-page document was drafted and sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment on May 15, 1796.

Sample page from the first draft of George Washington's Farewell Address, written in 1776. The document is in Washington's own handwriting, complete with strike-outs and edits.

Washington prepared the Address with the help of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in 1796, when he decided not to seek a third term. Washington never did deliver the Address orally. The final address was published in the September 19^th edition of the Philadelphia Daily American Advertiser, and in newspapers throughout the nation.

The final address is in the collection of the New York Public Library.

The address represented part of Washington's legacy to the country that he served for over fifty years. Although the Address was composed before political parties were fully accepted, Washington feared that they carried "the seeds of the nation's destruction through petty factionalism." The document also warns against "geographical sectionalism and interference by foreign powers in the Nation's domestic affairs;" it urges people to rise above petty concerns and act in the national interest. Washington also expressed the opinion that the United States should maintain an independent diplomacy and steer clear of permanent alliances with other nations because of the "insidious wiles of foreign influence."

For more information about the first draft of George Washington's Farewell Address and other items in the Library's collection, see The George Washington Collection.