sep 19, 1796 - Washington's Farewell Address

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When Washington retired from the Presidency after his second term in 1796, he and Hamilton wrote a farewell address to the nation detailing his hopes for America as it moved forward without him. In it, he advised against the country’s involvement in European conflicts, permanent alliances, the formation of political parties, and sectionalism. His advice was taken to heart by future leaders save for that regarding political parties, which were already organized and scrambling for power by this time. Another significant effect of Washington’s decision to retire was that the presidents that succeeded him also only voluntarily served two terms until President Franklin Roosevelt, who served three. After that, a two-term limit for the Presidency was added to the Constitution with the 22nd Amendment.

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