Final answer:
George Washington advocated for a US foreign policy focused on commercial relationships and avoiding political alliances to maintain neutrality and prevent entanglement in foreign wars.
Step-by-step explanation:
In his farewell address, George Washington attempted to influence the foreign policy of the United States by urging the country to pursue friendly commercial relationships with other nations while avoiding political alliances that could entangle the US in foreign conflicts.
He believed this approach would allow the US to maintain its sovereignty and prevent it from being drawn into Europe's frequent wars. Washington's address set a precedent for the US foreign policy of neutrality, which was observed with varying degrees of strictness in the centuries that followed.