22Feb1862 Reading of GWFA in Joint Session of Congress

SOURCE: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-globe/page-headings/37th-congress/n-a/39571 

Follow THIS LINK FOR DETAILS ON ORIGIN OF TRADITION

After the resolution text from which the proposed legislation is patterned after.

TRANSCRIBED FROM OFFICIAL RECORD 

Seats in the hall had been prepared for a large number of invited guests.

The galleries, with the exception of that reserved for the families of senators and members, had been densely crowded from an early hour in the morning.

The members of the house, by request of the speaker occupied the rear seats in the hall on the left of the speakers chair. The doors of the main entrance to the hall we're now thrown open, and the members of the House, rising, received the invited guests of the occasion in the following order:

The Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Senate, preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms and Chaplain.

The Senate of the United States and its other officers and official reporters.

The heads of the several departments.

The judges of the Supreme Court of the United states.

Officers of the Army and Navy of the United states.

Distinguished citizens and other invited guests.

The entrance into the Hall of the Army and the Navy officers, in full uniform, headed by General McClellan, was greeted with general manifestations of applause by the galleries.

The President of the United States, in consequence of the recent death of his son, was not present. 

The Senators were assigned to seats on the left of the speaker, in front of the members of the house. On the right of the seats nearest the main aisle or occupied in the following order, commencing at the area fronting the clerk's desk:

1. The heads of the department's, of whom all were present.

2. The judges of The Supreme court, all being present except the chief justice.

3. the officers of the Army and Navy, of whom about 50 were present, consisting of major generals and brigadier generals of the Army and officers of assimilated rank in the Navy.

A large number of representatives of foreign governments were present as spectators, and occupied seats on the right of the officers of the Army and Navy not participating, however in the proceedings, as the guests of the two Houses.

The other invited guests, to the number of about 100, including the heads of bureaus and many distinguished citizens, occupied seats on the extreme right.

The members of the House now resumed their seats, and the speaker called the assembly to order. The chaplain of the House, Reverend Thomas H. Stockton, offered the following prayer:

Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who has set thy Glory above the heavens. In Thy presence how little is our greatness! The official representatives of republics, kingdoms, and empires, magistrates, legislators, judges, and ambassadors, officers of  The Army and Navy, and persons of all ranks and classes in society, still remembering our fallen and low estate, we hasten to take shelter in the shadow of Thy Son, beseeching Thee to look upon the face of Thine anointed, and, for His sake, to forgive our iniquities, transgressions, and sins. So renewed comma inspired comma and sanctified comma May we make an acceptable offering unto thee through the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Be Thy Name forever in the beneficence of thy Providence and the redeeming progress of thy Grace in behalf of all nations! Blessed be Thy name for this goodly land, for the brotherhood of the peoples possessing it, and the liberty, equality, and strength of the Government which controls it. Blessed be Thy name for the piety and charity, the unity and bravery, the enterprise, industry, and prosperity of our fathers. Blessed be Thy name for every pure and wise and useful citizen whose history adorns our annals. Blessed be Thy name, especially that the same supreme foresight which gave Moses to Israel gave Washington to America. Blessed be Thy name for the birth and life, the character and accomplishments, the labors, achievements, and influence of the model man --- a patriot, a soldier, a statesman, a magistrate, whom we thus this day remember, not only as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," but also as first in the admiration and veneration of mankind. Blessed be Thy name that Washington was a man of prayer, that he called upon Thee, not only in private, but in public also; that he trusted in Christ, and drew near to the mercy-seat; that in accepting office and fulfilling office and resigning office, he called upon Thee, commending himself to thy favor and his country to thy blessing. Blessed be Thy name for his Farewell Address the sentiments it contains and his own recommendation that we frequently review it.

And remembering that Thou art the God, not of the dead, but of the living for all live unto thee - and that Washington is now as consciously and visibly present with the as we ourselves are, though the time of supplication has been closed to him, still we, in his spirit, in his name, would turn on this occasion his earthly vows into supplication at Thy throne, that the choices tokens of the beneficence may still be continued unto us; that the free Constitution transmitted unto us maybe sacredly maintained; that it's administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue, and that the happiness of the people, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete by so careful and observance of it that every nation which is yet a stranger to it may be induced to give it applause, and regard it with affectionate devotion.

And now, O Lord Our God, in whose heaven there is no sin, no disease, no violence, no death, and therefore no sorrow, we cannot close our prayer without a thought of our beloved president and his weeping household, and without a thought of the pale beauty that reposes among them, to bloom on Earth and no more forever. Ah, Lord God, from eternity to eternity Thou art the Living One, but we are beings of a breath and creatures of a moment. Our cherished sister, the widowed Queen of England, silently mourns in her island home, and, our national mansion is a darkened and still, and all over our country and all over the world, smitten hearts, smitten almost unto breaking, wait in faith and patience and hope before Thee. God be merciful to us miserable Sinners; Pardon and sanctify and save us all.

And now once more, behold, O Lord, our southern brethren. Disappoint, defeat, and utterly overthrow the plans, the atrocious and reasonable plans of their leaders; and may the people themselves, who have been so grossly deceived, to lay down the arms which they ought never to have taken up, and return to the common love which waits to embrace them. And O Thou, Most High, let not them vindictive purposes of Thy providence, or the progress of social Redemption be stayed for a moment. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; that kingdom come; Thy will be done on Earth as it done in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but Deliver Us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and Glory forever. Amen.

The Secretary of the Senate, John W. Fortney, Esquire read Washington Farewell Address as follows...

ON FACEBOOK: George Washington's Farewell Address

e-mail: gwfa1796@yahoo.com

ChatGPT_Sum_Hist_Waf

 Here’s a concise summary of the uploaded statement:

Summary

William Prescott Perry describes how his family heritage, childhood experiences, and study of American history led him to a lifelong commitment to reviving the civic teachings of George Washington and Andrew Jackson, particularly their warnings about threats to national unity.

• Family heritage: Perry originally believed he was descended from Col. William Prescott of Bunker Hill. Genealogical research instead showed that his namesake was Jeremiah Prescott of the New Hampshire Militia, whose father Jeremiah also served in the Continental Army. His nephew independently joined the Sons of the Revolution through an ancestor named Erasmus Perry. Perry sees these Revolutionary-era connections as reinforcing his sense of patriotic duty. 
• Washington and Jackson: Perry regards the Farewell Addresses of George Washington and Andrew Jackson as national treasures that deserve much greater prominence in American civic life, education, and government. 
• National unity: He highlights Washington's warning that the Union is essential to American independence, prosperity, liberty, and security, and that Americans should resist efforts to weaken the bonds between the states. He pairs this with Jackson's warning that sectional division could ultimately turn political disputes into armed conflict. 
• Personal civic motivation: Perry recalls President Kennedy's famous challenge to consider what one can do for one's country as an early influence on his patriotism. Although he did not pursue military service, he says that discovering Washington's Farewell Address in 1996 profoundly affected him. He was particularly troubled that its bicentennial received little public recognition compared with the centennial in 1896. 
• His mission: Perry concludes that his principal way of serving the country is to restore Washington's and Jackson's words to their rightful status as national treasures. He also notes the historical tradition of reading Washington's Farewell Address on the Senate floor around Washington's birthday, a tradition that began during the Civil War. 
• Central message: He closes by emphasizing Jackson's characterization of Washington's Farewell Address as a legacy whose wisdom and foresight seemed almost prophetic—warning Americans of dangers to come. Perry's repeated theme is that Americans should recover these teachings before division and sectionalism again threaten the Union. 

In one sentence: The document is a personal patriotic appeal arguing that Washington's and Jackson's warnings about national unity, sectional division, and the preservation of the Union should once again occupy a central place in American education, public consciousness, and government.

OPEN LETTER TO: History with Waffles 3Oct26

NOTE: Click/tap HERE for information on History With Waffles.

My name is William Prescott Perry. Earlier this year, I began using my middle name with regularity because I am proud of my heritage for, as a little boy, I recall being told that my namesake was Col. William Prescott of Bunker Hill fame. I even shared on social media President Trump's recent executive proclamation of its 250th anniversaty when I modified my name on social media.

However, after my having applied for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, it was discovered that I was not descended from him as I had assumed but rather a Jeremiah Prescott of the New Hampshire Militia. He was my namesake, not my great-{xxxx?} grandfather.

After meeting with the educational representative of SAR in Louisville, KY to discuss my crusade to BRING GEORGE WASHINGTON BACK TO WASHINGTON, I asked the librarian if he had overheard our conversation and what was with all the books. He said they were related to genealogy. He assisted me finding out more about my kin Jeremiah. Turns out Jeremiah had a father named Jeremiah and he also served in the Continental Army. Needless to say, that made me more proud than if it been confirmed that I was Col. William's kin.

Adding to the pride of my family heritage, my nephew on his own accord, became a member of the Sons of the Revolution, a different organization. The qualifying ancestor was an Erasmus Perry. That both sides of my family are descended from the patriots who served in the Continental Army, I have concluded that my passionate obsession to restore His Excellency, the Most Honorable George Washington's final words to the American people to their rightful place in the American conscience, classrooms and, most importantly, chambers of government is related to the fact the American revolutionary spirit is literally in my DNA through and through. Ditto for President Jackson's because of the manner in which he recognized President Washington's and built upon it his own to become a national treasure of equal brilliance.

I do not know how familiar or not you are with the farewell addresses of Presidents Washington and Jackson but they are national treasures that need to be resurrected and illuminated for the American people to see and cherish.

This passage from President Washington's farewell particularly relevant to his attempt at avoidance of the Civil War:

The unity of  government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the palladium of your  political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.

... as is this one from President Jackson's:

We behold systematic efforts publicly made to sow the seeds of discord between different parts of the United States and to place party divisions directly upon geographical distinctions; to excite the South against the North and the North against the South, and to force into the controversy the most delicate and exciting topics--topics upon which it is impossible that a large portion of the Union can ever speak without strong emotion... What have you to gain by division and dissension? Delude not yourselves with the belief that a breach once made may be afterwards repaired. If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and determined by the sword.

Another one of my earliest memories as a child is President Kennedy asking me to ask what I could do for our country. T'was then the seed of patriotism and sense of civic duty was planted which has since grown to maturity.

I turned 18 the very year the draft was eliminated and the war in Vietnam was winding down in and was in no way in inclined to join military service. It was not until 1996 that I first became aware President Washington's final words to the American people. I was disgusted and embarrassed the bicentennial anniversary of such a monumental event in American history could pass by unnoticed by our government and the media in comparison to the centennial in 1896. 

Again, I have determined the best way I can be of service to our country is to do everything in my power to restore the words of these two towering figures in American history to their rightful place as national treasures.

I commend you on your splendid and detailed analysis of Civil War engagements. I have visited Gettysburg many, many times over the years as well as a few others -- including Antietam and Chicamauga - Gettysburg the most because, as you said in one of your presentations, it just keeps one coming back. 

I don't know what your sentiments are with regard to ghosts at Gettysburg but, in my opinion through first hand experience, they are very, very real - as explained in my GETTYSBURG ADDRESS FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM. As I recently updated my page to include a photograph of the monument of the 20th Maine, I noticed the name of a Pvt. Stephen A. Prescott engraved upon it and can't not wonder if we are somehow related, however distantly.

In case you were unaware, the seeds of the tradition of reading President Washington's Farewell Address on the floor of the United States Senate around the time of his birthday began in the darkest hours of the Civil War. By selecting this link, it will take you to the official record of the day.

I appreciate the fine work you have been doing and intend to delve into it as deep as possible. I could go on longer, but wish to keep this brief as possible. Therefore, I will leave you with one of my favorite - and most prescient - passages from President Jackson's words to the American people and posterity.

“... the lessons contained in this invaluable legacy of Washington to his countrymen should be cherished in the heart of every citizen ... his paternal counsels would seem to be not merely the offspring of wisdom and foresight, but the voice of prophecy, foretelling events and warning us of the evil to come.”

~~ President Jackson's Farewell Address

Repeat: “PROPHECY...WARNING US OF THE EVIL TO COME”

Any questions?

Thank you for your time and attention and I hope to hear your sentiments on these matters.

Very truly yours,

William Prescott, Perry, Founder and Director

P.S. the following are worthy of the attention of all interested parties:

VIDEO:

A brilliant compilation of 30 Years of the Senate's reading of Washington's Farewell Address (1988-2020)

A fine reading and intro by Sen. James Lankford - 2023

George Washington: The Farewell Address - an outstanding presentation

SPOKEN VERSION OF PRESIDENT JACKSON'S FARWELL

ON FACEBOOK: George Washington's Farewell Address

e-mail: gwfa1796@yahoo.com