Guard Against The Impostures Of Pretended

Published on September 19, 1796, in the Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser — Washington's Farewell Address was not delivered as a speech but printed as an open letter to the American people near the end of his second and final term. Co-authored with Alexander Hamilton, the address warned against three interconnected dangers: the fury of party spirit, the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, and "the impostures of pretended patriotism" — meaning those who exploit national loyalty for personal or factional gain. The address has been read aloud annually on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Washington's birthday ever since.