Presidential Transitions: Washington's Farewell
It seems fitting that this series on Presidential Transition should end with the first transition, and the one that followed the first contested election. By 1796 George Washington had served two terms in office. During the Revolutionary War, Washington served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and had presided over the convention that drafted the United States Constitution. He established the national and lasting model of the military being subject to civilian authorities, something that was amazing for its time, and something that remains a fundamental tenet of democracy today. He became known as the "father of his country" during his lifetime and it is a title that he retains to this day.
Washington was unanimously elected president by the Electoral College in the first two national elections. No one has done that since. He supervised the creation of a strong national government that maintained neutrality during the French Revolutionary Wars. He established many precedents still in use today, including the cabinet system, the inaugural address, and the title Mr. President. His decision to retire from office after two terms established a tradition that lasted until 1940, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term. The 22nd Amendment, passed in 1951, now limits the president to two elected terms.
The election of 1796 was the third presidential election, but the first in which two political parties vied for power, something Washington had hoped would never come to pass. The election was held from Friday, November 4 to Wednesday, December 7, 1796. It was not only the first contested presidential election, but it would end up being the only one in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets.
When Washington refused a third term in office, incumbent Vice President John Adams from Massachusetts became a candidate for the presidency on the Federalist Party ticket along with former Governor Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina. Their opponents were former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson from Virginia along with Senator Aaron Burr of New York for the Democratic-Republicans. At this time, each man from any party ran alone, as the formal position of "running mate" had not yet been established, but it was intended that one man would be at the top of the ticket (though as the election of 1800 proved, this was not always respected).
The campaign was an acrimonious one, with Federalists attempting to associate the Republicans with the violent French Revolution and the Democratic-Republicans accusing the Federalists of wanting to turn the country into a monarchy ruled by an elite aristocracy. Republicans sought to identify Adams with the policies developed by fellow Federalist Alexander Hamilton, which they portrayed as too much in favor of Great Britain. Paradoxically, Hamilton himself opposed Adams and worked to undermine his election. In foreign policy, Republicans denounced the Federalists over Jay's Treaty.
Federalists attacked Jefferson's moral character, alleging he was an atheist, and a coward during the Revolution. Adams supporters also accused Jefferson of being too pro-France. The proof, they said, was clear when the French ambassador expressed his support for Jefferson and attacked the Federalists right before the election.
Adams won the election, receiving 71 electoral votes. Jefferson received the second highest number of electoral votes, 68, and was elected vice president according to the prevailing rules of the day. This election marked the beginning of a polarization in electoral politics that would continue forward, with only a brief period of respite during the time of James Monroe.
As his presidency was coming to an end, Washington published his Farewell Address, issued as a public letter on September 17, 1796. It was drafted primarily by Washington himself with help from Hamilton. James Madison had helped with an earlier draft. In the address, Washington wrote of the necessity and importance of national union, the value of the Constitution and the rule of law, the evils of political parties, and the proper virtues of a republican people.
For Washington, an important concept was morality, which he called "a necessary spring of popular government", He said:
"Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
Washington also warned against foreign influence in domestic affairs as well as against American meddling in European affairs, and against bitter partisanship in domestic politics. He also called for men to move beyond partisanship and serve the common good. He warned against "permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world". Washington told the nation that the United States must concentrate primarily on American interests. He supported friendship and commerce with all nations, but advised against involvement in European wars and entering into long-term "entangling" alliances. For Washington, the notion of non-involvement in foreign affairs was of paramount importance.
Washington retired from the presidency in March 1797 and returned to Mount Vernon with a profound sense of relief. He turned his attention to his plantations and other business interests (including his distillery, which produced its first batch of liquor in February 1797).
In January 1862, a large group of Philadelphia residents signed a petition requesting Congress to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Washington's birth by reading his Farewell Address "in one or the other of the Houses of Congress.” It was first read in the United States House of Representatives in February 1862, and the reading of Washington's address became a tradition in both houses by 1899. The House of Representatives abandoned the practice in 1984, but the Senate continues this tradition to the present. Washington's Birthday is observed by selecting a member of the Senate to read the address aloud on the Senate floor, alternating between political parties each year.