George Washington and the Cherry Tree

Long ago, before America was a country of its own, a little boy named George lived on a farm in Virginia. When he grew up, George Washington became the very first president of the United States. But this story is from when he was only six years old.

One day, George’s father gave him a present. It was a small, shiny hatchet, just the right size for a little boy. George was so proud of it that he carried it everywhere he went. He tapped it on fence posts, and he chopped at sticks, and he hacked at weeds in the garden.

In the garden, there was a young cherry tree. George’s father had planted it himself, and it was his very favorite tree. Every spring, it was covered in pink and white blossoms, and every summer it was full of sweet red cherries. George did not think about any of that. He just wanted to try his hatchet on something new. Chip, chip, chip went the little hatchet, and George cut away the bark all around the trunk.

The next morning, George’s father walked through the garden and stopped. His favorite cherry tree was all scraped and bare, and its leaves were drooping. “Who has done this to my cherry tree?” he asked. “That tree was very special to me.” Nobody answered, and the garden was very quiet.

Then George came into the garden, holding his little hatchet. His father looked at him and asked, “George, do you know who hurt my cherry tree?” George felt his cheeks go hot, and his tummy felt wobbly. He could say he did not know. But George took a big breath and looked up at his father. “I cannot tell a lie, Father, I did it with my hatchet,” he said.

George waited for his father to be angry. But instead, his father knelt down and gave him a big hug. “My boy, I am sad about the tree,” he said. “But telling me the truth was very brave, and the truth means more to me than every cherry tree in Virginia.” George hugged him back, and he promised to be more careful with his hatchet.

A writer named Parson Weems told this story long after George grew up, and most people think he made it up. But people in America still tell it to remind children how brave it is to tell the truth.