George Washington on War and peace
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“To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”
- George Washington, W)
Expressing his fervent desire for peace and lamenting the futility of war, George Washington envisioned the American West as a haven for the world's oppressed.
“My first wish is to see this plague to mankind banished from off the Earth, and the sons and Daughters of this world employed in more pleasing and innocent amusements, than in preparing implements and exercising them for the destruction of mankind: rather than quarrel about territory let the poor, the needy and oppressed of the Earth, and those who want Land, resort to the fertile plains of our western country, the second Promise, and there dwell in peace, fulfilling the first and great commandment.”
- George Washington, W)