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Myth: George Washington and the Cherry Tree

Posted by Anon on June 29, 2000

In Reply to: Myth: George Washington and the Cherry Tree posted by Bob on June 29, 2000

: : : : : : : Would like history on the myth of George Washington and his cutting down the cherry tree.
: : : : : : : Thank you.

: : : : : : Twas a story, coined by an 18th century spin doctor to enhance the reputation of the father of the nation. Would that we could create such beautifully crafted tales to prop up the reputation of our own dear President who stands naked before the nation with not a single substantive myth to cover his confusion.

: : : : : In other words....a publicity stunt. Like Britany Spears breasts.

: : : : Actaully, I may stand corrected....because I think she REALLY did get implants. But, I don't beleive she's a teenager like they're leading us to beleive.

: : : GW's spin doctor was 19th century, actually, when an insecure new nation felt it had to polish up the reputation of its Founding Father. A biography for schoolchildren.

: : Now the conundrum is, was he born and did he die in the 19th century or was he born in the 18th and did he die in the 19th or was he long lived, being born in the 18th, lived most of his life in the 19th, and died in the 20th. What is the rule for century attachment to an individual, e.g., was Winston Churchill (born 1874) a 19th or 20th century man.

: : Does the placing of the word 'actually' at an appropriate place in an assertion serve the purpose of confirming its accuracy or is it indicative of doubt and a warning not to challenge?

: He died in December of 1799, actually.

Well I know that GW died at Mount Vernon of a throat infection on December 14, 1799 but the crucial question is, who was the spin doctor and when was he born and when did he die? The best answer I can give you is that he was one Reverend Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825) who added the Cherry Tree incident in the 1806 edition of a pamphlet first published in 1800.

Now this leaves us with an 18th century President, an 18th century spin doctor and a 19th century story added in the 1806 edition of an 18th century pamphlet. Now why it should be an 18th rather than a 19th century pamphlet is because there was no year 'AD 0000' since the world had to wait more than 700 years for the those clever Arabs to invent the "0".

Is all that clear?

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