Washington Bids Farewell: Peaceful Power Transfer
George Washington steps before his weary officers at New York's Fraunces Tavern to formally resign his commission and bid them farewell. This decisive act of relinquishing power cemented the precedent that the military serves the civilian government, preventing any slide toward dictatorship in the fragile new republic.
December 4, 1783
243 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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