In this short paragraph , the author writes that washington was hopeful that "the young nation's best days were on the horizon." what is the best meaning of this figurative phrase? america would never reach its best days. america was like a ship sailing into the sunset. america's success was inevitable. america's best days were still ahead. heres the paragraph in november 1783, when washington received word that the treaty of paris was signed, he began the process of saying goodbye to military life. his swan song was to be on november 2, near princeton, where he addressed his soldiers, whom he called “one patriotic band of brothers.” the time had come, said washington, for him to “to bid them an affectionate—a long farewell.” he told his men that creating a new, self-governing country would not be easy. while the military battles had been long and hard, he said, they now faced the hard work of creating a free and self-governing nation. he urged his men to be “virtuous and useful citizens,” just as they had been virtuous and useful soldiers. the next month, washington traveled to annapolis, maryland. there, on december 23, he stood before the continental congress and formally resigned his military post. in his speech to his former colleagues, washington spoke of the men in the army as his family. the speech moved his compatriots to tears. washington was looking forward to a quiet retirement with his wife, martha, at their plantation, mount vernon. like so many americans, he was uncertain what the future would hold but hopeful that the young nation’s best days were on the horizon.