North Korea: "Our founder was born under a triple rainbow with a new star appearing in the sky, and he also once discovered a unicorn." USA: "Our founder once chopped down a tree."
He probably had cherry trees on his plantation, and with the fullness of time had to chop at least one of them down. Just, not as a child in a parable about honesty.
I learned this story in grammar school about 1970. At the time I didn't take it as a fact at all, but rather as a tall tale. I was skeptical that such a story would be known at all to history, and that Washington would be unlikely to boast about such a thing had it happened anyway. This was to my ten year old mind, an obvious attempt to embed a moral into a flattering image of the "young George Washington." I wonder if this was obvious to others. I suppose it was watching Fractured Fairy Tales on The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show, that made recognizing morals in stories.
This video does not handle the primary sources very well. It acknowledges that the original version (Weems) was not that GW "chopped down" anything. That was a distortion by those who didn't really take the time to read Weems. They are the real mythmakers. Weems did not claim that GW chopped down a cherry tree. So there is no question that its untrue GW "chopped down" a cherry tree. But the culpability for the claim he chopped down a cherry tree is not to be laid at the feet of Weems, but at the feet of people like this video producer who continue to perpetrate the "chopped down" allegation. Neither did Weems write that GW was incapable of telling a lie. Weems' version was "I can't lie, Pa," not "father, I cannot tell a lie." The figure of speech is still commonly used. We say things like "I can't lie to you, my dear, I did eat the last cookie." Anyone who derives from that the conclusion that the person is claiming to be metaphysically incapable of lying simply doesn't understand English. Again, not Weems. Probably McGuffey's error, or more likely Oscar Wilde's (who in 1891 wrote that George Washington claimed to be incapable of lying). In this video you say, the story is "probably" false. Those bandwagoners who chime in with their "amens" (e.g., see some of the comments posted below) simply are unaware of the best scholarship on Weems and the anecdote. To wit, Dr. Philip Levy, one of the best living experts on the matter, college professor and author of Where The Cherry Tree Grew, said, “The evidence that the story is true is equal to the evidence that it is false. There’s nothing implausible about it,” (www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/myths/george-washington-and-the-cherry-tree-myth/where-the-cherry-tree-grew-an-interview-with-phillip-levy/). More significantly, the most learned scholar on the life and works of Mason Weems was Professor Lawrence Wrote at Brown University. In his critical study of Mason Weems' Wrote published this: “It is asserted, generally carelessly and without any thought upon the subject, that Weems was father and mother to this famous [cherry tree] anecdote as well as its sponsor, and no one may deny the assertion. It is only fair, however, to say that no really good reason has ever been given for holding this view, and no evidence has ever been brought forward in support of it... There is something to be said for the authenticity of the anecdote. The story is probable in every detail, and it is well known that Weems was assiduous in the collection of Washington anecdotes of every sort… It is quite within the pale of probability that when Weems gave as his authority for the story the same ‘excellent lady’ who had told him others of her memories of the youthful hero, he was speaking sober truth.” (www.google.com/books/edition/Parson_Weems/6-vaPc6QCqsC?hl=en&gbpv=1) “The single most bizarre aspect of the George-Washington-chopped-down-the-cherry-tree story story, however, is the fact that, in over 200 years, not one archivist, historian, librarian, journalist, or curator who relished attacking Weems ever undertook any research into it… Those who reject it, never give evidence to disprove it.” Presidential Historian Carl S. Anthony ”In his widely acclaimed ‘Washington, a Life,’ author Ron Chernow dismisses Weems as the man ‘who manufactured enduring myths about Washington refusing to lie about chopping down a cherry tree [and] hurling a silver dollar across the Rappahannock.’ But just as we must be careful not to pass along hagiographic hokum when writing about politicians, so must we take care in our debunkings. There are several problems with dismissing these accounts as myths.” Carl Cannon, Harvard University “I find the story of George and the cherry tree entirely credible. What is odd is that so many Americans are eager to dismiss such a plausible story as silly mythology.” Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times writer, Russell Baker “…for all we know, it might be true.” Fulbright Professor of American History, Wilson Jeremiah Moses “This story is not so easily disproved.” National Park Service “yes, Virginia, the story of George and the cherry tree is true.” Austin Washington, Great Nephew of the First President “If the attackers of this story have any proof of their assertions, let them come forward with them-but I venture the assertion that they have none.” H.O. Bishop, “That Cherry Tree Story: Not a Myth,” National Republic, Volume XIV, No. 10, 14. Jim Bish has recently demonstrated that Weems' source for the Cherry Tree story was authentic. His recent award winning book cannot be discarded by anyone claiming to be in the know about the Cherry Tree story: suncitywest.com/event-calendar/local-author-book-talk-signing-james-bish/ In short, this video is as much a myth-perpetrating piece as any of Weems writings ever was. When real scholars present history, they are familiar with the primary sources and the scholarship regarding the topics they present. Sad to say, this presentation exhibits a tremendous degree of ignorance, and relies on ad populum and ipse dixit fallacies that cause it to be a very weak treatment of Weems' Cherry Tree anecdote.
Because little boys can be randomly destructive. I lived at a house with a Tale of the Back Fence, which used to not be there but was put up when two 5-7 year old brothers went over into the next property and made a game of snapping Every Single Cornstalk planted on the quarter acre. Next month, fence.
Shiiiiiii, every kid in America was harboring under the impression that Christopher Columbus discovered America. So yeah... We all believed the cherry tree Washington story back then.
Before you decide that Washington skipping a dollar across the Potomac was a myth, first remember that a dollar went a lot further back then.
Next you're going to tell me he wasn't 12 stories tall and made of radiation.
As a child, we were told a similar story, how little Vladimir Ilyich Lenin broke a decanter
Love this channel, always covers cool little topics like this
The story was like a 5 year-old’s bed time story, with clear intensions. I’m surprised anyone believes that it is true
this chanell is absurdly underrated, please keep making videos
North Korea: "Our founder was born under a triple rainbow with a new star appearing in the sky, and he also once discovered a unicorn."
USA: "Our founder once chopped down a tree."
He probably had cherry trees on his plantation, and with the fullness of time had to chop at least one of them down. Just, not as a child in a parable about honesty.
Been missing your videos
Great video. Unbiased.
I learned this story in grammar school about 1970. At the time I didn't take it as a fact at all, but rather as a tall tale. I was skeptical that such a story would be known at all to history, and that Washington would be unlikely to boast about such a thing had it happened anyway. This was to my ten year old mind, an obvious attempt to embed a moral into a flattering image of the "young George Washington."
I wonder if this was obvious to others. I suppose it was watching Fractured Fairy Tales on The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show, that made recognizing morals in stories.
"who does not punish his son severely"....was that a reference? lol
The RUclips channel @MakWills is stealing your videos, just a heads up!
This video does not handle the primary sources very well. It acknowledges that the original version (Weems) was not that GW "chopped down" anything. That was a distortion by those who didn't really take the time to read Weems. They are the real mythmakers. Weems did not claim that GW chopped down a cherry tree. So there is no question that its untrue GW "chopped down" a cherry tree. But the culpability for the claim he chopped down a cherry tree is not to be laid at the feet of Weems, but at the feet of people like this video producer who continue to perpetrate the "chopped down" allegation. Neither did Weems write that GW was incapable of telling a lie. Weems' version was "I can't lie, Pa," not "father, I cannot tell a lie." The figure of speech is still commonly used. We say things like "I can't lie to you, my dear, I did eat the last cookie." Anyone who derives from that the conclusion that the person is claiming to be metaphysically incapable of lying simply doesn't understand English. Again, not Weems. Probably McGuffey's error, or more likely Oscar Wilde's (who in 1891 wrote that George Washington claimed to be incapable of lying).
In this video you say, the story is "probably" false. Those bandwagoners who chime in with their "amens" (e.g., see some of the comments posted below) simply are unaware of the best scholarship on Weems and the anecdote. To wit,
Dr. Philip Levy, one of the best living experts on the matter, college professor and author of Where The Cherry Tree Grew, said, “The evidence that the story is true is equal to the evidence that it is false. There’s nothing implausible about it,” (www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/myths/george-washington-and-the-cherry-tree-myth/where-the-cherry-tree-grew-an-interview-with-phillip-levy/). More significantly, the most learned scholar on the life and works of Mason Weems was Professor Lawrence Wrote at Brown University. In his critical study of Mason Weems' Wrote published this:
“It is asserted, generally carelessly and without any thought upon the subject, that Weems was father and mother to this famous [cherry tree] anecdote as well as its sponsor, and no one may deny the assertion. It is only fair, however, to say that no really good reason has ever been given for holding this view, and no evidence has ever been brought forward in support of it... There is something to be said for the authenticity of the anecdote. The story is probable in every detail, and it is well known that Weems was assiduous in the collection of Washington anecdotes of every sort… It is quite within the pale of probability that when Weems gave as his authority for the story the same ‘excellent lady’ who had told him others of her memories of the youthful hero, he was speaking sober truth.” (www.google.com/books/edition/Parson_Weems/6-vaPc6QCqsC?hl=en&gbpv=1)
“The single most bizarre aspect of the George-Washington-chopped-down-the-cherry-tree story story, however, is the fact that, in over 200 years, not one archivist, historian, librarian, journalist, or curator who relished attacking Weems ever undertook any research into it… Those who reject it, never give evidence to disprove it.” Presidential Historian Carl S. Anthony
”In his widely acclaimed ‘Washington, a Life,’ author Ron Chernow dismisses Weems as the man ‘who manufactured enduring myths about Washington refusing to lie about chopping down a cherry tree [and] hurling a silver dollar across the Rappahannock.’ But just as we must be careful not to pass along hagiographic hokum when writing about politicians, so must we take care in our debunkings. There are several problems with dismissing these accounts as myths.” Carl Cannon, Harvard University
“I find the story of George and the cherry tree entirely credible. What is odd is that so many Americans are eager to dismiss such a plausible story as silly mythology.” Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times writer, Russell Baker
“…for all we know, it might be true.” Fulbright Professor of American History, Wilson Jeremiah Moses
“This story is not so easily disproved.” National Park Service
“yes, Virginia, the story of George and the cherry tree is true.” Austin Washington, Great Nephew of the First President
“If the attackers of this story have any proof of their assertions, let them come forward with them-but I venture the assertion that they have none.” H.O. Bishop, “That Cherry Tree Story: Not a Myth,” National Republic, Volume XIV, No. 10, 14.
Jim Bish has recently demonstrated that Weems' source for the Cherry Tree story was authentic. His recent award winning book cannot be discarded by anyone claiming to be in the know about the Cherry Tree story: suncitywest.com/event-calendar/local-author-book-talk-signing-james-bish/
In short, this video is as much a myth-perpetrating piece as any of Weems writings ever was. When real scholars present history, they are familiar with the primary sources and the scholarship regarding the topics they present. Sad to say, this presentation exhibits a tremendous degree of ignorance, and relies on ad populum and ipse dixit fallacies that cause it to be a very weak treatment of Weems' Cherry Tree anecdote.
I read only a small part of your essay.
But I gave it a thumbs up because I'm impressed by the effort you put into it.
Great Video
My question was always why Washington had chopped down the tree.
Because little boys can be randomly destructive. I lived at a house with a Tale of the Back Fence, which used to not be there but was put up when two 5-7 year old brothers went over into the next property and made a game of snapping Every Single Cornstalk planted on the quarter acre. Next month, fence.
Shiiiiiii, every kid in America was harboring under the impression that Christopher Columbus discovered America. So yeah... We all believed the cherry tree Washington story back then.
You’re wearing a woman’s shirt.
19th
From "I can not tell a lie" to "Honest Abe" to Donald " I am physically and mentally unable to stop lying" Trump.
What a long, strange trip...
Gorge and Abe probably lied too at some point, people just like to weave stories of old people cause no one can disprove it, watch the video
Im not defending that despicable man, but there are nuances in life, not lying at all is such a stupid idea