Cherry tree story of George Washington

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by Mason Locke Weems · 1806

The cherry tree story is a famous American myth about the young George Washington, who supposedly chopped down his father's cherry tree and confessed to it by saying, 'I can't tell a lie.' The anecdote was invented by biographer Mason Locke Weems (Parson Weems) and first published in the 1806 fifth edition of his book, 'The Life of Washington'.