An American Folktale

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Retold by The Legendary Connection

TLC #00004

There is a story about George Washington, the first president of the United States of America. When he was about six years old, George was given a very special gift—a shiny new hatchet. Like many little boys, George loved his new hatchet and carried it everywhere. He chopped things wherever he went, just for fun!

One day, while playing in the garden, George was swinging his hatchet around and chopping at his mother’s garden stakes. But little did he know that he was standing close to a beautiful young cherry tree. Without thinking, George took a swing at the stakes but missed and hit the tree with his hatchet, cutting its bark badly. The tree was hurt so badly that it would never grow the same again.

The next morning, George’s father went out into the garden and saw the damage to his favorite cherry tree. It had been one of his most treasured trees, and seeing it harmed made him very upset.

He hurried back into the house, his face full of concern. "Who cut my beautiful cherry tree?" he asked, raising his voice. “That tree meant a great deal to me!”  No one in the house knew who had done it.

Just then, little George walked in, still holding his hatchet. “George,” his father asked, “do you know who cut the cherry tree in the garden?”

George’s heart skipped a beat. He knew it was him, but he also knew this would make his father mad. For a moment, he felt very scared. But he decided to be brave, so he stood up straight, looked his father in the eye, and said, “I can not tell a lie, Pa. I did cut the tree with my hatchet.”

For a moment, there was silence. George’s father looked at him, his face softening. Then, with a smile, he opened his arms wide and said, “Come here, my dear boy. Your honesty is worth more to me than a thousand cherry trees, even if their blossoms were silver and their fruit was pure gold.”

George rushed into his father’s arms, feeling proud that he had told the truth.   He never forgot the lesson he learned that day.

Note: While George Washington is an actual historic figure, there is no evidence that the incident with the cherry tree ever really happened. This is an example of a folk legend where the story was likely fabricated and then attached to a real famous and admired person to increase its impact.

Original source: “Children’s Book of Patriotic Stories: The Spirit of ’76.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/69235/69235-h/69235-H.htm, 1917, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69235/pg69235-images.html#Page_236. Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

Richardson, Jay. “Cherry Tree Myth.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 4 Oct. 2023, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/cherry-tree-myth/.