American Unity: George Washington’s “Farewell Address”
George Washington is remembered as the general who won the Revolutionary War and the first president of a new republic. He is less often thought of as a great orator. Nevertheless, Washington’s “Farewell Address,” delivered as he left the presidency to return to private life, won admirers when Washington first published it in September 1796 and has continued to be widely studied ever since. In this seminar we will consider how Washington’s “Farewell Address” can help us understand the roots of political polarization, America’s place in the world, and how free men and women can preserve a republic. We will also consider the role of rhetoric, as distinct from lawmaking and warfighting, in founding a regime.
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Dr. Hugh Liebert
Dr. Hugh Liebert is an associate professor of American politics in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he teaches courses in political philosophy, American politics, and civil-military relations. He also serves as director of West Point’s Graduate Scholarship Program. Liebert is the author or editor of six books, including Plutarch’s Politics: Between City and Empire. He holds a PhD and MA from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago and a BA from Harvard University.
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Tikvah aims to make all of our courses available to as many qualified students as possible. In the event that Tikvah needs to add additional sections, this course may be taught by a different faculty member with a similarly high level of expertise.
