Washington Prophesied a Divided America

America’s first President, George Washington, articulated a vision for the United States in his farewell address given in September 1796 that did not include political parties or class warfare–two ingredients that have culminated in a divided nation just as Washington prophesied 221 years ago. Washington said, “Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles.”

How far have “We the People” strayed from this statement? In the name of progress, we have become a nation without pride of patriotism. We have so many religions and versions of religions that we have barely no religion at all. We are actually celebrating diverse manners and habits. We are a divided nation where some cling to Constitutional principles and others undermine it with their justification that man progresses and so, too, should the Constitution. By Washington’s standards, we have lost our bearing on what it is to be an American–that citizens assimilate the national properties of religion, manners, habits and political principles rather than becoming a melting pot of diverse beliefs and practices.

Washington believed that allowing political parties would be a divisive and dangerous act to liberty and limited government. He warned, “You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heartburnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection…they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

Washington believed an inoculation against the undermining of political parties was electing moral and religious leaders. He said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.” As Exodus 18:21 says regarding good government: “provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness…” Something to contemplate as we celebrate Washington’s birth.