Communications and Empire: George Washington's Farewell Address and Republican Diplomacy

Abstract

Washington helped shape the politically most salient information technology of his day: the publicly provided circulation of newspapers through the mail. Washington then used this technology in his Farewell Address in order to educate his "Friends and Fellow Citizens" to their foreign policy duty as a democratic public: their duty to hold their leaders intelligently accountable for those leaders' foreign policy decisions.

Keywords: George Washington, postal service, media, republicanism, Empire, newspapers, Indians