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The reasons he provides for encouraging the continued unity of the nation are made no less valid by the fact that they are presented in a calculated rhetorical manner. He begins by enumerating the various values and dependencies of the various regions of the new country -- North, South, East, and West -- and stresses that this mutual dependency ought to be reason enough alone for the Union to stay together. Again, his decision to begin with the merits of the union is a calculation to enamor the argument with all possible readers before continuing into the somewhat more controversial portion of his argument. After stressing that all regions both contribute to and depend upon the union of all, he suggests that the prime reasons that the union might not succeed are for geographical regions: "Is there a doubt whether a common government can embrace so large a sphere? Let experience solve it." He demands that the experiment of large-scale democracy continue.
Washington goes on to warn of the danger of having one faction or region exerting more than its share of influence over the government, and of infighting between the regions and factions. He also warns against the "spirit of encroachment" within the government itself, so that power does not become too consolidated and that the "habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted...
Chief among these concerns, in both arenas, is the possibility of foreign influence working to create division amongst the various factions in the United States. Because of this, he warns against any permanent allegiances with other nations, and advocates keeping an isolationist stance when it comes to European interests and disputes. He acknowledges that speaking to other nations is necessary to ensure harmony and the basic interests of all, but demands that no other countries should be extended special privileges -- or denied equitable treatment -- so that the democracy can emerge truly free and uninfluenced.
Throughout the address, what Washington stresses is unity, fairness, and neutrality in the workings of the federal government. He repeatedly stresses that his intent is only to protect and perpetuate the country that helped to found and that remains in his thoughts and heart even as he recedes from the public eye. Much of his advice has, unfortunately, been given up, some of it in the few decades following Washington's death. He could be satisfied, however, knowing that the country has continued to grow, and has remained together for better or for worse.
The only difference is how the legend is carried and manipulated through subsequent generations. Unfortunately, such a sanguine point-of-view does not hold up either. Because the legend itself is regional in nature, the tale of the headless horseman conveys the sinister application of rhetorical devices used to exile the spirit of Americanism. If it were a legend, then the legend would have carried out beyond its geographical area. Moreover, the
America was finding its footing, Americans were finding their identity. The spark of revolution trickled down the vine where three men decided to take arms. One took arms by defending the country against the British and securing the role of president of a new country. A second took pen and wrote to inspire the reluctant to declare independence from an unfair Britain. A third took brush and art to
Founding Brothers When studying the history of the formation of the United States, one usually thinks in terms of separate events and individuals. However, the American republic was established, instead, by a series of important decisions and the joint efforts of some of the most prominent men of all time. In a matter of ten years, these critical interactions among the eight leading figures of John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin,
HUTU Blame? The Search for the Truth in Rwanda, an argumentative essay There are those who claim that Belgium is the perpetrator in the extermination methods used in Rwanda however, there are those who claim that the Rwandan government itself may be to blame with ties to a loan from the IMF World Bank. Among all the arguments leveled the most likely perpetrator of these crimes can be traced back to
Founding Brothers Ellis, Joseph, J. Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation. New York: Knopf, 2000. Print. The manner the American Republic was established continues to fascinate historians and the lay people alike. For a long time, historians accorded the major role in the formation of the United States to the struggles and virtues of the founding members of the republic. But in the post-Civil Rights era, historians began to pay greater attention to
American Involvement in International Affairs Between 1890-1905: The United States of America emerged as the world's super power in the decade of the 1890s and has exercised that power throughout the 19th Century. Since the beginning of the 19th Century, the United States has continued to be the world's super power through which it is considered as the pre-eminent power and country across the globe. The main reason for the country's