DOVER, Del. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware has been selected to deliver the Senate’s annual tribute to George Washington as the nation celebrates the birthday of its first president.
Coons on Monday will become the first Delaware senator to deliver Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address from the Senate floor.
The tradition dates to 1862, when it began as a way to boost the country’s morale during the Civil War.
In his farewell, Washington urged Americans to carefully guard and preserve the union, also noting that those entrusted to lead the country should confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres.
Washington also said that religion and morality were indispensable to political prosperity, arguing that morality cannot be maintained without religion.
More simply, the Founding Father noted that honesty is always the best policy.
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