In his Farewell Address, published in a newspaper, President Washington explained why he would not seek a third term and outlined his vision for the United States: the importance of preserving the Union, of the equality of all Americans, of the dangers of party politics and foreign entanglements.

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. … I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.”

- President George Washington, “Farewell Address” (1796)