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Rhetorical Analysis Of George Washington's Final Address

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George Washington, the first President of the United States, is entering a new chapter in his life in which politics are not involved. He has served the U.S. for the greater part of his life and is intending to step down with a final address. In Washington’s final presidential speech, he promotes patriotism and the American system to encourage the American people to have a sense of pride and desire to develop the young nation. In the early part of the speech, Washington alludes multiple times to the Revolutionary War in order to evoke patriotism from the citizens. “The name American must always exalt the just pride of patriotism” he proclaims, reminding the people they are privileged to label themselves as “Americans.” They have fought for this name and anyone within the nation’s borders, that they have relentlessly fought for, is in fact an American citizen. Washington continues this idea of nationalism by illustrating how each region of the United States depends on one another. The statement of, “The North, in an unrestrained intercourse …show more content…

He formally addresses the people of the nation by saying “your tranquility... your peace… your prosperity” all in an effort to create a sense of ownership that can be felt by the people. Repetition combined with encouraging diction gives the American people a sense of pride to have a nation run “by the people and for the people,” just as the constitution states. He continues to expand upon these democratic beliefs in the later part of the speech. He compares the United States to surrounding nations by focusing on how opposing nations are “tied together by similar governments” and how their governments are “inauspicious to liberty.” In this he looks to convey to the American people that they are fortunate to live in a free nation, and not be citizens of a monarchy like that of the nation they freed themselves

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