THE NEWPORT MERCURY, Rhode Island, May 9, 1797  

* President George Washington 
* Mount Vernon retirement 

Page 3 has a lengthy letter to George Washington from the Rhode Island General Assembly concerning his retirement from public office. It begins: "Having felt in common with our constituents the importance of your military and civil services, and being deeply affected by the resolution you have formed of retiring from public life, we beg leave to express to you our sentiments...".
This is followed Washington's thankful reply, signed by him in type at Mount Vernon, April 3, 1797: Geo. Washington.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed, nice condition.

Background: This May 9, 1797 issue of The Newport Mercury captures a monumental milestone in American history: the historic, unprecedented voluntary relinquishment of power by George Washington following his retirement from the presidency on March 4, 1797. At a time when the world was dominated by absolute monarchs and lifelong rulers, Washington’s decision to step down after two terms stunned global observers and established the bedrock American tradition of the peaceful transition of power. The publication of the Rhode Island General Assembly’s emotional address—voicing the deep-seated anxiety and profound gratitude of a citizenry navigating a future without their foundational leader—juxtaposed with Washington’s humble reply from Mount Vernon, serves as a vivid public testament to the fragile consolidation of the early Republic. Because this four-page issue survives in its rarest, most pristine physical state—never bound, stitched, or trimmed—it stands as an uncompromised, living artifact of the exact moment the United States successfully transitioned from the era of a singular revolutionary hero to a government operating strictly on constitutional law and civil institution.