"THE SACRED FIRE OF LIBERTY… ENTRUSTED TO THE HANDS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE": SCARCE 1796 FIRST EDITION OF WASHINGTON’S COLLECTED SPEECHES, PUBLISHED IN THE LAST MONTHS OF HIS PRESIDENCY, FEATURING HIS LANDMARK FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS, SEVEN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES, HIS 1783 FAREWELL ORDERS, HIS JUNE 1793 CIRCULAR LETTER—"ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE STATE PAPERS EVER PRODUCED IN THIS COUNTRY"—AND HIS CORRESPONDENCE WITH AMERICAN JEWS

WASHINGTON, George. A Collection of the Speeches of the President of the United States… Also, the Addresses to the President… With an Appendix, Containing the Circular Letter… and His Farewell Orders to the Armies of America. Boston: Manning and Loring, July, 1796. 12mo, recent period-style full calf, gilt-stamped spine, red morocco title label. Housed in a custom half calf clamshell box. $11,500.

Scarce first edition of this collection of Washington’s speeches, an exceptional volume containing his First Inaugural Address—“a neglected masterpiece… ranked with the first inaugurals of Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt”—along with seven State of the Union addresses, his November 1783 Farewell Orders… to the Armies and his June 1793 Circular Letter… to the Governors—"the most poignant piece of writing he ever composed"—and his 1796 Message on the British Treaty. In addition, this is the first official publication of the United States government relating to American Jews.

George Washington may have been famous as a man who "thought his deeds spoke more persuasively than his words," yet this very scarce Collection of his speeches, published in the final months of his presidency, affirms that he also knew the strength of a president's word. For, as history has shown, "our presidents not only wear two traditional hats of head-of-state and head-of-government, they also give us voice as a people" (Gergan, My Fellow Americans, ix-x). Among the many works assembled in this important volume are Washington's November 3, 1783 Farewell Orders… to the Armies, and his June 18, 1793 Circular Letter… to the Governors: two works in which he movingly declares his wish to retire—"to bid a last farewell to the cares of office." It was a wish his countrymen would not grant, for on April 30, 1789 Washington delivered his First Inaugural Address as America's first president. That landmark speech is also included here, along with Washington's first seven State of the Union addresses, his March 30, 1796 Message on the British Treaty, and the many speeches he delivered during his sweeping tour of the nation in 1789.

This volume contains the correspondence exchanged between Washington and the Jewish communities of America following his inauguration. As the book was "published according to an act of Congress," it is thus the earliest official publication of the United States government that refers to Jews. American Jews chose not to unite and dispatch one letter to congratulate Washington upon his inauguration. The congregation in Savannah sent its own letter, and the communities of Philadelphia, New York, Charleston and Richmond sent one jointly. In response to the good wishes expressed in the latter letter, Washington reciprocated: "May the same temporal and eternal blessings which you implore for me, rest upon your Congregations." These letters continued to be cited by Jews and their advocates throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries to demonstrate that the Founding Father had fully sanctioned their inclusion into the new American nation.

Of particular interest is Washington's famous Circular Letter… to the Governors (263-275), widely held as "one of the most remarkable state papers ever produced in this country" (Schroeder, Life and Times II:267), and "the most poignant piece of writing he ever composed" (Ellis, His Excellency, 144-145). To biographer Chernow, "this enduring document, also known as 'Washington's Legacy,' codified his views no less memorably than his later Farewell Address" (443). Many view the Circular Letter as "Washington's First Farewell Address. It contains both a heartfelt goodbye to the nation and his hope for its future" (Lengel, Companion to George Washington). Washington, who wrote the speech at the urging of Robert Morris and Alexander Hamilton, told Morris in a June 3, 1783 letter: "'before I retire… I shall with the greatest freedom give my sentiments to the States on several political subjects.' Within a week Washington had written his Circular Letter to the state executives. Copies were sent to all of the governors by 21 June. Washington's Circular Letter emphasized four things… The powers of Congress had to be increased, the war debt had to be paid, the state militias had to be standardized, and the states had to abandon 'local prejudices and politics.' At the end of the Letter, Washington… announced he would permanently retire from public service and that the recommendations in his letter should be considered his legacy to this country" (Kaminski et al, A Great and Good Man, 1-2).

Prominently featured is Washington's First Inaugural Address—"a neglected masterpiece that deserves to be ranked with the first inaugurals of Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt for its rhetorical artistry and for its impact on the course of American history… Just as Washington had begun his tenure as commander in chief with an address to the Continental Congress, he launched his presidency with a speech to both houses of the newly created U.S. Congress. Unlike the Annual Message to Congress (known today as the State of the Union address), which is mandated by the Constitution, there is no requirement that the president deliver an inaugural address… Washington knew his inaugural address would be of pivotal importance in generating good will, trust and confidence in the new government" (Lucas, Presidency and Rhetorical Leadership, 46-49). In its "most famous passage Washington stressed that 'the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people… Washington understood the address not as a policy talk but instead of as an opportunity for a president to contribute to and shape the nation's political culture… and firmly established the inaugural address as a central form of American political discourse" (Kazin ed al, Princeton Encyclopedia, 419). Also with early printings of his first seven State of the Union addresses (his final State of the Union address was given by him after this volume's publication). These foundational works cover events such as the Whiskey Rebellion, key legislation, the establishment of the capital on the banks of the Potomac, relations with Indians, the national debt, turbulent relations with European powers, the controversial Jay Treaty and much more. Also included are numerous speeches to the nation's states and cities, to universities, religious congregations and civic institutions, along with Washington's 1796 Answer to a speech by the French Minister in which Washington conveys his response to the French Revolution. With subscribers' list, containing names of Samuel Adams and other notables; rear advertisement leaf; erratum note (282): "a variant issue lacks the erratum note" (ESTC W30397), no priority established. Howes W130. Evans 31402. Sabin 101545.

Moderate toning and spotting. A handsome copy.