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Buh Bye!
Washington’s address, printed in newspapers across the country, signaled that the presidency was greater than one man—and also used the bully pulpit to deplore “the spirit of party” (an accusation Anti-Federalists found quite partisan).
Farewell to the Foundingest Father
On September 27, the Gazette of the United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser celebrated Washington’s farewell address in the language of religious devotion: “Such advice from such a citizen . . . will form the Americans true political creed; it will be the Book of Oracles to his successors.”
Spectacular! Oracular!
On the Jeffersonian (or Anti-Federalist) side of the debate, publisher William Duane circulated a grand critique of Washington’s partisan rhetoric, suggesting he’d been hoodwinked by “those who, uniting evil with ambitious dispositions, prevailed over your judgment.”
Partisanship, Thy Name Is Washington
