A Sacred Union of Citizens: George Washington's Farewell Address and the American Character (Paperback)

by Matthew Spalding (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
One of the most popular words in American politics today is "character." Authors Spalding and Garrity present George Washington not only as a president of impeccable personal credentials, but also as a man who had important lessons for the American people regarding the character of their leaders. These lessons are embodied in his Farewell Address, which is best remembered for its warning against foreign entanglements. Yet it's really a meditation on how a nation can cultivate the habits, morals and civic virtues necessary for stable self-government. Bonus for history buffs: Daniel Boorstin writes the introduction. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
In this election year, it's fitting to remember our only unopposed president and the farewell address that set the standard. Congress regularly reprints it, but there has been little analytical popular literature on this seminal address. (There would not be another significant one until Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex 164 years later.) Despite rumblings about Francophobic touches, the farewell address is a document that attempts to set out a rationale for the Union and its conservative foreign policy. Yet Spalding (Heritage Foundation) and Garrity (Claremont Inst.) focus as much on the effect of Washington's character on the new republic as on his speech. The first few chapters constitute a brief biography that gets us past the mythological facade that Parson Weems created. The bulk of the book outlines Washington's efforts to impress his character traits on the new government and to establish its course. With the full text of the farewell address appended, this is a good choice for both academic and public libraries.?James Doyle, Macomb Community Coll., Warren, Mich.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (February 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847682625
• ISBN-13: 978-0847682621
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #547,813 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good analysis of Pres. Washington's Farewell Address, June 10, 1999

By	Michael S. Keeney (Ogden, UT, The United States of America) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Easily the finest president this nation has ever had (especially in light of the scumbag currently inhabiting that high office), and easily one of th e most enlightened and moral men at the time of the founding of the United States of America.

The authors not only do an excellent job of reviewing the background of Washington's farewell address, but they give interesting insight into the background and morality of President Washington. Well worth the money.