Asher K. Sisneros
Dr. Gary North
American Literature
December 13, 2024
Introduction
“Parson” Mason Weems was a 19th-century author and book seller, and his most famous book was The Life of George Washington, a biography on America’s first president. However, Weems differentiated his account from prior newspaper articles about Washington by focusing on Washington’s personal life and personal virtues rather than his political or military achievements. Upon Washington’s death, interest in his private life—and the man behind the public image—only increased, and Weems answered that demand by writing his book a year later. It immediately became an instant success and retained popularity. Through the 19th century, it was among the most popular books in America, and many of the stories in his biography continue to be taught to young children in modern-day America. But the question is, how accurate is the biography, and is it believable? Is it an insightful piece of American scholarship or crude propaganda meant to deify the chief Founding Father?
The Real Washington
To begin with some of the true aspects of The Life of Washington, Weems did not exaggerate Washington’s productivity and industriousness. Throughout his life, he was very productive in his various ventures, such as farming, land speculation, military campaigns, and politics. As Weems said, “But of all the virtues that adorned the life of this great man, there is none more worthy of our imitation than his admirable industry.”[1] He was very productive, that is true. Under his ownership, his estate more than doubled in size with 5,000 acres added to it, bringing his land holdings around Mount Vernon up to 7,600 acres; of which, 3,600 acres was cultivated land.[2] He also used a unique system of record keeping because of his military expeditions. Overseers governed each farm on his estate and reported to a farm manager, while the farm managers gave Washington weekly reports so he could monitor which crops did well and which farming practices were most efficient.[3] Though the system was developed out of necessity, it proved to be a genius business tactic. The use of managers and weekly reports allowed Washington to manage the entire estate without getting caught up in small, trivial matters. In other words, George Washington was using the good ol’ business principle of delegation, and it worked remarkably well for him.
Also, Weems did not overestimate how integral Washington was to the formation of the U.S. and, frankly, to the history of the West. His central involvement in the Battle of Jumonville Glen had geopolitical consequences. When a French scouting party under the leadership of Jumonville went to deliver a message to Washington, warning him to stay away from the French-claimed territories in Ohio and away from Fort Duquesne, they were ambushed by Washington and his troops. According to one account, “Washington was alerted to Jumonville’s presence by Tanacharison, and they joined forces to surround the Canadian camp. Some of the Canadians were killed in the ambush, and most of the others were captured. [Washington] wrote in his diary, ‘We were advanced pretty near to them … when they discovered us; whereupon I ordered my company to fire,’ and Washington wrote a letter to his brother after the battle, in which he said ‘I can with truth assure you, I heard bullets whistle and believe me, there was something charming in the sound.’”[4] Despite the “charming” sound of bullets, Jumonville still felt obligated to read his message to Washington, which he did. However, Jumonville was killed anyway. Sources disagree on whether Washington ordered his execution or whether Indian troops under Washington’s command killed him on their own. Whatever the case, the attack was a tremendous blunder on Washington’s part, as Jumonville’s older brother commanded a large French force that soon hunted down Washington for retribution. Washington was forced to build Fort Necessity, and the French-Canadians attacked it. After the siege, Washington surrendered and signed a document admitting personal responsibility for the assassination of Jumonville. Immediately after the British got word of what happened, they sent General Braddock and fresh British troops to the colonies. Upon hearing of that, King Louis XV of France also sent troops, and the French and Indian War began. But Washington’s Battle of Jumonville Glen resulted in far more than just the French and Indian War. To quote Dr. Gary North, “In case after case, if Washington had not been there, there would have been a very different direction for what played out … and that began almost immediately after the Battle of Jumonville Glen and the Battle of Fort Necessity. There is no question that Washington was actually more important … than Weems understood or that the general public has ever understood.”[5] He continues to say that through the Battle of Jumonville Glen, Washington “started the French and Indian War, which led to the Stamp Act crisis, which led to the American Revolution, which led to the French Revolution, which led to Napoleon and Napoleon’s conquest, which led to the revolutionary movements of the 19th century, which culminated in the revolutionary movements of the 20th century. … [A]ll of Western civilization from that point on was completely disrupted on a scale never dreamed of. And he was the man who pulled the trigger.”[6] So in terms of Washington’s influence, Weems was absolutely right. Washington changed world history.
Myths
However, there also many stories in The Life of Washington that are not historically accurate. In an effort to humanize Washington, Weems took the liberty to embellish and fabricate. Unfortunately, many of those stories have become universally believed because of the book’s long-standing popularity.
The cherry-tree story is the most notorious example. As the story goes, Washington’s father gave him a hatchet, and he cut down their cherry tree. When asked about it, Washington confessed and exclaimed, “I can’t tell a lie, Pa; you know I can’t tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.”[7] Rather than grow angry, Washington’s father embraced his son because he told the truth, and honesty in his son was more valuable to him than the cherry tree. Although it is a fine story with a wonderful moral, it never happened. For one, the story did not enter Weems’ biography until the fifth edition,[8] and there are virtually not historical records of Washington’s relationship with his father who died when he was eleven.[9] In short, the cherry tree story is nothing more than an unverifiable myth.
Another myth fabricated by Weems was his account of Washington praying in the snow at Valley Forge. To quote Michael Keeney, “Despite [popular] depictions, it is a story with ‘dubious origins,’ writes Edward G. Lengel in Inventing George Washington, his account of the myths and legends that sprang up to breathe life into a symbolic figure.”[10] Plus, Washington would not have prayed. Washington was not a Christian. To be a Christian, one must profess faith in Jesus Christ, and Washington’s writings never did this. He often revered an abstract, deistic “creator of the universe,” but Christ was never invoked. To quote Dr. Gary North, “Washington was basically a deist. And while he was a church member, he never took communion. He would always rise and leave when communion was being served.”[11]
With both of these stories, Weems was merely spreading myths more than providing historical scholarship. Michael Keeney says, “Weems, Lengel explains, was ‘lazy’ about research and facts, allowing his imitators to produce ‘an increasingly outrageous array of myth, legend, and outright fraud in the name of recovering Washington’s humanity.’”[12]
Another dubious passage in the book is chapter 6, when General Braddock meets Washington. According to Weems, the infamous British general heard of Washington’s fame in England, but that is highly unlikely. Washington gained most of his fame during and after the French and Indian War, not before it. And any “fame” prior to that war certainly did not reach England.
Why Embellish and Fabricate?
There are a few reasons Weems may have chosen to embellish and, in some cases, lie. On the one hand, Weems was interested in selling books, and he could sell the most biographies by telling interesting stories, whether they were true or not. Because of the lack of scholarship on Washington’s personal life at the time, no one could disprove his statements. Those familiar with his political ventures and military exploits could disprove fabricated stories about those subjects, but only Washington’s nearest family members could verify the stories about his personal life.
However, selling books was not Weems’ only motive. He also wanted to paint Washington as a saint, glorifying his personal virtues and calling on young children to emulate Washington. To quote Weems, “[I]t was those old fashioned virtues that our hero owed every thing. … It was they that enabled him, first to triumph over himself; then over the British; and uniformly to set such bright examples of human perfectibility,” and “who among us can hope that his son shall ever be called, like Washington, to direct the storm of war, or to ravish the ears of deeply listening Senates?” He continues to say, give “us his private virtues! In these, every youth is interested, because in these every youth may become a Washington.”[13] Through virtue, children could ascend to the greatness of Washington. Everyone in the country knew of Washington. He was one of the most well-known figures at the time. By linking Washington to virtues like honesty, industry, religious faith, and charity, Weems sought to give children and the country someone to look up to and emulate. And perhaps, if they copied his virtues, they could copy his success.
In a way, Weems also sought to give the newly founded nation an identity. Washington was the face of the country, and by linking Washington to certain virtues, he linked the country to those virtues as well. Emulating John Winthrop’s idea that America might be a “city on a hill” and a light to the rest of the world, he said this at the end of the biography:
Heaven has crowned all its blessings by giving you a freer government and a fairer opportunity for political happiness than any other nation was ever favored with. In this view, citizens of the United States, you are certainly responsible for the highest trust ever confided to any people. The eyes of long oppressed humanity are now looking up to you as to her last hope; the world are anxious spectators of your trial; and with your behavior at this crisis, not only your own, but the destiny of unborn millions is involved.[14]
Conclusion
Is The Life of George Washington a believable book? Is it historically accurate? No, not really. While his book is fun to read and humorous, it makes for a better historical fiction than a rigorous piece of historical scholarship. Unlike many “scholarly” pieces, it is very easy to read. But readers should know that his book is only loosely based on the fact. Many of the stories and encounters in the book are purely fictional, from the cherry-tree story to Washington’s encounter with Braddock. It is still a good book to read for personal enjoyment or to evaluate the tastes of American readers during the 19th century. But as a historical manuscript, it has too many made-up errors to be taken seriously. So readers should be warned and understand that his depictions of Washington are not always perfectly accurate. Washington was a virtuous man and had many exemplary characteristics, but Weems took many liberties in displaying that virtue.
[1] “Parson” Mason Weems, The Life of George Washington, Weems-Washington.pdf, p. 62
[2] “Growth of Mount Vernon,” (Mount Vernon, VA: George Washington’s Mount Vernon/mountvernon.org), par. 14
[3] “Development of Mount Vernon,” (Mount Vernon, VA: George Washington’s Mount Vernon/mountvernon.org), par. 8
[4] “The Battle of Jumonville Glen,” sections from Wikipedia last edited 2013, web. JumonvilleGlen.pdf
[5] Dr. Gary North, “Weems on Washington, Pt. 2,” 12E071 American Literature, Ron Paul Home School Curriculum, recorded 2013, 8:40 to 9:40, 12E072 – Lesson 72: Weems on Washington, Part 2 | RonPaulCurriculum.com
[6] Dr. Gary North, “Weems on Washington, Pt. 3,” 12E072 American Literature, Ron Paul Home School Curriculum, recorded 2013, 10:56 to 11:39, https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/members/21817.cfm?cid=6CEF017F-ED89-2BDB-8D2BC0B8CF46D533
[7] Weems, Ibid, p. 8
[8] “The Cherry Tree Myth,” (Vernon, VA: Washington’s Mount Vernon/mountvernon.org), par. 3
[9] “Cherry Tree Myth,” par. 5
[10] Michael Keeney, “Edward Lengel Provides the Many Myths of Washington,” (Boston, MA: Boston Globe Newspaper, 2011), par. 2
[11] Dr. Gary North, “Weems on Washington, Pt. 3,” 12E072 American Literature, Ron Paul Home School Curriculum, recorded 2013, 4:08 to 4:21, https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/members/21817.cfm?cid=6CEF017F-ED89-2BDB-8D2BC0B8CF46D533
[12] Michael Keeney, “Myths of Washington,” par. 4
[13] Weems, Ibid, p. 3
[14] Weems, Ibid, p. 74
Asher Sisneros 