First Annual Address, to both Houses of Congress, January 8, 1790

"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies."

Editorial Notes

Washington was a strong proponent of a robust national defense. He took the opportunity of his first State of the Union address to argue that Congress should take a role in promoting the domestic manufacture of weapons and ammunition in the United States in order to avoid the supply troubles the Continental Army had faced during the Revolutionary War.

George Washington to the United States Senate and House of Representatives | January 8, 1790

First Annual Address, to both Houses of Congress, January 8, 1790

Editorial Notes

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