Washington's Farewell Address

 

In 1796, Mr. Washington's "warnings of a parting friend" cautioned Americans about the "wiles of foreign influence." Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon, who explores the history and legacy of the address in his new book, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss "Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations."

While Washington focused mainly on domestic issues in the address, he ended with a discussion of foreign affairs. “It is our true policy,” he declared, “to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world,” a statement that would shape American foreign policy for more than a century to come.

In his Farewell Address, Washington took neutrality a step further. “The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is,” he advised, “. . . to have with them as little political connection as possible.” This advice was translated by the presidents who followed Washington into a policy of unilateralism. Under this policy, the United States “went it alone” in its relations with other countries, and did not seek either military or political alliances with foreign powers.

Was Washington more of a 'Realist' or 'Idealist?' 

How did Washington's foreign policy influence the War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine?

Realism vs. Idealism: Is Santa Real?

 

If your decision was motivated mainly by realism, • your decision-making process was guided by reason and rationality. • you were motivated by self-interest. • you believed that you were protecting your own needs and security. 

If your decision was motivated mainly by idealism, • your decision-making process was guided by morals and ethics. • you were motivated by the desire to help others. • you believed that you were acting in the best interest of your family and community

A Campfire Conversation

Click here to watch the video.

During a private, three-day camping trip in the Yosemite Valley in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt and preservationist John Muir shared their views on wilderness use while "talking freely around the campfire." Both men shared a life-long appreciation for the wilderness and its natural inhabitants. But each brought different views on how, why, and to what extent that environment should be protected. Their exchange of those views eventually led to the expansion of Yosemite National Park under the federal government.

In this lesson, students will use online tools – as well as information contained in this episode – to research the backgrounds, experiences, and points of view of both men. They will then share that information in a re-creation of one of the pair's "campfire conversations."

Roosevelt Bio    Muir Bio

1. What was Muir’s point of view on wilderness use? What was Roosevelt’s view?


2. In what ways were their points of view similar? In what ways were they different?


3. For each man, what was the value in hearing the other’s point of view?


4. In what ways was the campfire setting an appropriate one for the conversation?


5. If you were in attendance at that campfire, what would you have liked to say to either man?

Bring the sounds of the virtual-forest into your room while you're doing your homework.

How well do you know your National Parks?

Do you have to travel across the country to see a National Park?