George Washington was one of the Founding Fathers of America and the first President of the United States. His life is full of surprising facts and fascinating events, but that didn’t stop people from adding several myths to his life story. Here are some of the myths that people still believe about George Washington.
George Washington Wore a Wig
Portraits show George Washington sporting a full head of well-maintained hair. This had a lot of people assume it was a wig, a notion that persisted over the years. However, it turns out that Washington just paid a lot of attention to his hair, and that great hairdo was all natural.
George Washington Emancipated All of His Slaves in His Will
You will often hear that George Washington changed his mind about slavery in the later years of his life and used his will to emancipate them. However, the truth is somewhat different. While Washington did have a change of heart, he didn’t free all of his slaves immediately. Instead, his will called that they will serve his wife Martha and only be free in case of her death or if she decides to do so. Martha would end up granting freedom to all of Washington’s slaves a year later.
George Washington Chopped Down a Cherry Tree
One famous story about George Washington is that he received an axe as a gift when he was a child and proceeded to chop down the cherry tree on the family’s estate. When asked about it by his father, the young Washington confessed on the spot and was praised for his honesty. But the truth is that the story was entirely fabricated by bookseller Mason Locke Weems, who wanted to improve sales of his book “The Life of Washington.
George Washington Had Wooden Teeth
Among the most famous myths about George Washington is that he had wooden teeth. It was true that Washington had a dental appliance after losing all of his own teeth, it wasn’t filled with wooden teeth. Instead, it probably contained a mix of animal and human teeth as well as teeth made from ivory.