Washington’s Legacy
Did later U.S. presidents follow George Washington’s advice about foreign alliances?
In this lesson students will examine the foreign policy advice of President George Washington and then evaluate the policies for four other US presidents to analyze if they followed his advice.
Objectives:
- Students will summarize Washington’s warnings in his Farewell Address (1796) about foreign entanglements and political parties.
- Students will analyze how later U.S. foreign-policy doctrines and actions echoed, departed from, or reinterpreted Washington’s advice.
- Students will evaluate continuity and change in American foreign policy across U.S. history using primary sources.
- Students will construct an evidence-based argument about the Farewell Address’s influence.
Assessment:
Formative:
Source worksheet and group presentations
Summative:
- Two – column poster “Ways Washington’s Advice Was Followed” vs. “It was Ignored/Reinterpreted” with textual evidence and one historical consequence per item
- DBQ Style Prompt Thesis Statement with evidence: “Evaluate the influence of Washington’s Farewell Address on U.S. foreign policy, 1796 – 1947” Use at least three primary sources.
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