A23: Washington and the Cherry Tree

This piece is a response to a comment on Article 17: Word of Gold where I told the true story of George Washington and the cherry tree. Now I am perfectly fine with questions or other comments, but for those who mock, while they themselves have little conception of reality, be warned, this bull has horns. It is time to defend the honor of so illustrious a man, and have these children put in their place. Gather around, grab a delicious morsel, and get cozy for it is story time.

Setting the Stage

The question up for debate is whether the account of Washington and the cherry tree, the moralizing apple tree, the prayer at Valley Forge, as well as many others are true. To thank for such lore is a man named Mason Locke Weems, Parson Weems, and his book The Life of Washington. It is from him we get these tales, as well as those of the “Swamp Fox of Carolina”, Francis Marion. Combined with Washington’s farewell address, his book has created what we think of as Washington’s character today.

The question is whether such a view is false; therefore, this is an argument of authority to whether or not the author deserves our ears.

Now both modern media and academia have put forth the claim that such anecdotes are false. Parson Weems was merely an opportunist, who wrote this story for money and popularity. They have dismissed him, dubbing his work “a farrago of absurdities,” “a lying little book,” and “an amusing piece of fiction,” “full of ridiculous exaggeration.” Is their theory true? Who was this mysterious writer who wrote such tales of our nation’s mighty father?

The Man in the Flesh

A preacher, a writer, a book seller, a player of Scottish tunes on his violin, Mason Weems was anything but simple. At one moment he could be seen plying his trade as a book agent in the cabin of a simple farmer and at the next preaching an eloquent sermon before the legislature of a Southern state. Far and wide he traveled, as he crossed many state lines from Pennsylvania to Georgia. He circulated  the Bible, his own biographies (Washington, Marion, Penn and Franklin), and lively moral treatises for the common people, many of which he wrote himself in an endeavor to promote morality and an abhorrence of the common vice.

Kindly and cheerful, with a wit that made him the life of every company he entered, he was altogether a delightful companion. Yet he was a man of strong convictions of a noble and courageous heart. About the popular vices of the day like Jeremiah to the Israelites, he roared.

And of course, to say he was famous, would be an understatement. So known was this honest historian that the Kardashians would look small in comparison. He was the most read author of his time, and inspired millions of youths with tongue and quill, bestowing upon them the fruits of their mighty heritage. He was commended by presidents and Abraham Lincoln himself testified that as a boy Mason Weems’s epic on Washington had been his favorite.

To give you just a mere glimpse of the mighty man of whom we speak, let us look to the testimony of John Davis: an Englishman who visited America and published Travels in the United States of America, 1798–1802. During his travels he spent a few months near Mount Vernon, and having heard of this legendary preacher, Davis sought him out. Finding him preaching at Pohick Church, this is what he had to say about the matter:

And when asked by Weems how his sermon was, John Davis responded:

A strong man he had to be, for he wished to become a priest for the Church of England. Even after the Revolution, one still was required to swear an oath of allegiance to the king. Weems rejected the idea entirely for his honor would not allow him to betray his country. Nevertheless, like a falcon locked on its prey, he strived for his religious rights. Two years he struggled, corresponding with the titans John Adams and Benjamin Franklin about the matter. Finally, they submitted to his righteous cause, and he was ordained by the Bishop of London without being obliged to take the oath—one of the first Americans so favored. A triumph indeed.

For over thirty years he went around the country preaching, selling books, and bringing the American spirit right to the common man’s door. This is the man whom they slander. This is the American icon whom they wish to destroy. Even now such a resume would call into question any claim by these modern historians, yet we are just getting started. The juiciest details are yet to come.

Close to the President

How well did Mason Weems know Washington? Why should he be considered an authoritative source?

Weems seems early to have come in contact with Washington. The latter’s diary for March 3, 1787, has the following:

In 1790 the vestry of Christ Church, Alexandria, of which Washington was a vestryman, voted to authorize the rector, Rev. Bryan Fairfax, to employ as an assistant the Rev. Mason L. Weems, or any other man he chose. Although Weems failed to secure this position, he could not be kept long away from the president. He would later serve from time to time at Washington’s main parish Pohick Church earning the title "  Formerly  Rector  of  Mt.  Vernon  Parish." Next, however, is where the layers of this union are truly peeled back.

On July 2, 1795, at Belle Air, near Dumfries, and less than twenty miles from Mount Vernon, Weems married Fanny Ewell, the eldest daughter of Colonel Jesse Ewell. Who were the Ewells? Yes, they were a family of importance in the section; however, most strikingly, they were deeply intertwined by marriage with the Balls, the family of Washington’s mother. That’s right, Mason Weems married into that inner circle connected to Washington, and it gets better.

Back in 1760, Colonel Ewell’s sister, Mariamne, married Dr. Craik, Washington’s family physician and lifelong friend. Dr. Craik had accompanied Washington on the Braddock expedition of 1754, on the trip to Ohio in 1770, and had later settled in Alexandria at Washington’s urgent request. He was there during Washington’s last days and is credited with having been Washington’s most intimate friend and confidant. Weems and Dr. Craik would have a double bond: one through marriage, and another through medicine (Mason Weems studied medicine at University of Edinburgh in Scotland). To recap, first he married into the extended social sphere of Washington and next had as his cousin-in-law Washington’s most intimate friend and confidant. Let’s add more to the list, shall we?"

He also knew Rev. Lee Massey, one of Washington’s rectors from 1767 to 1785. Rev. Massey resided in the vicinity of Mount Vernon and had known Washington since his early years.

Little is written about Washington’s early life and therefore all we know is given by the authority of others. His feat of throwing a stone across the Rappahannock at the lower ferry of Fredericksburg is placed on the word of Colonel Lewis Willis, his playmate and kinsman, “who has been heard to relate the incident.” With such a hidden beginning who could be in a better position than Mason Weems to learn all the hidden anecdotes of our first president?

Now, let us see some of the words he exchanged with the president himself:

“During the last year of Washington’s life Weems had considerable intercourse with him. On March 31 of that year (1799) Washington wrote to him about a land transaction in western Virginia—perhaps Weems thought of moving there. On July 3, 1799, Washington acknowledged the receipt from Weems of a copy of the Immortal Mentor, a book edited by Weems, and a sort of guide to health, wealth and salvation. Washington’s letter was such a strong testimonial in favor of the book that Weems ever afterwards printed it on the back of the title page.”

When a Hero Dies

After Washington’s  death, Weems quickly wrote a piece on the man’s life. On February 22, 1800, he dedicated his book to Mrs. Washington thus:

After this first writing was published, for the rest of his days Mason Weems would gather new material to add to this little masterpiece. He spoke with relatives of Washington as well as those whom he met on his book-selling journeys through Virginia. During his life, there was not a single accusation from any individual that his stories of George Washington were false and fabricated, yet we are now supposed to believe that our modern historians living over 200 years later know more.

To call such claims arrogant would be putting it mildly. No man has done more in preserving and promoting the truly illustrious life of our great forefather than Mason Locke Weems. No man is more deserving of praise for expounding the great virtue of George Washington than him. Therefore, an attack on this heroic preacher is an attack on the very heritage of our nation itself.

The Evidence Against

Now, what are the facts that modern historians use to prove the overwhelming evidence  I have presented before you false? There are none—at least none of any worth. Modern critics point to the fact that the cherry tree anecdote appears only in the 5th edition of The Life of Washington as ‘proof’ of fabrication. This is the argument of a clerk, not a historian. In the 19th century, biography was an organic, living pursuit. Authors like Chief Justice John Marshall and William Wirt similarly treated their books as evolving projects, incorporating new testimonies and oral histories as they were unearthed from the survivors of the Revolution.

Weems wasn’t ‘altering’ his book, he was growing it. He understood that the ‘truth’ of a man was found in his life, his virtues, and the collective memory of his people. To call this ‘deceit’ is to expose one’s own ignorance of the very culture that birthed our Republic. It was a time of honor. Yes, they were anecdotal, yet not without cause for when a man of worth said something, you took him at his word. Is this the type of research we should expect from modern academia? If so, what a pathetic excuse for a profession.

What we have here is nothing other than a collection of worthless, paper-pushing, half-wit charlatans who will never accomplish anything of worth in their pathetic excuse for a life, and who are trying to garner the only meaning they can by tearing down the great icons of this nation in order to hide their own inferiority.

The Path Forward

I am quite sick of people who believe they can maliciously tear down history and the legacy of this nation without risk of repercussion. Let me ask you: How long shall we tolerate our heritage being slandered? How long shall we allow the great sacrifices and honor of our forefathers to be mocked? How long shall we stand idly by as our statues are torn down and monuments desecrated?

It is one thing to be critical of some of the actions of the past; however, it is another thing entirely to profane what has come before with lies and deceit. Make no mistake, an attack on a nation’s history is just as in need of defense as an attack on flesh and blood. For with the death of a nation’s heritage comes the destruction of that very spiritual lifeforce which propels it forward.

So let us not hide any longer if we still wish to be called men.

Rise up, my fellow countryman. Feel the blood of those long dead course through your veins. Bring  honor to your banner, and the nation on which it stands. Embody the men of a finer age, and let every noble virtue embolden your very steps. Match the ferocity of the lion and dash with the quickness of the snake.

No longer shall we tolerate our heritage being desecrated, no longer shall we tolerate our history being ridiculed, no longer shall we tolerate our very soul being tossed away.

Gather your saddle, sharpen your blade, and mount your stallion. Though the armies of Hell come against us—through rain, through sleet, through snow—we ride!

Your Humble and Obedient Servant,

Francisco Pereira