If you're American, or even if you're not, you've almost certainly heard the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.

如果你是美國人，或者即使你不是美國人，也幾乎肯定聽過喬治-華盛頓砍櫻桃樹的故事。

Few figures in American history are as mythologized as George Washington.

美國曆史上很少有像喬治-華盛頓這樣被神話的人物。

He had wooden teeth, he wore a powdered wig, he could skip a silver dollar across the Potomac River, or he is currently buried under the U.S.

他長著木牙，戴著塗粉的假髮，能跳過波托馬克河上的一塊銀元，或者他現在被埋在美國地下。

Capitol building.

國會大廈。

Those are all myths, by the way.

順便說一句，這些都是神話。

But this cherry tree story is the most well-known tale involving George Washington.

不過，這個櫻桃樹的故事是與喬治-華盛頓有關的最著名的故事。

It goes like this.

事情是這樣的

When George was six years old, his father gave him a hatchet as a gift.

喬治六歲時，父親送給他一把斧頭作為禮物。

When his father was away, young George went outside into the yard of his family's estate and chopped down one of his father's prized cherry trees.

父親不在家時，小喬治跑到自家莊園的院子裡，砍倒了父親最珍貴的一棵櫻桃樹。

When his father returned from business, he found the tree chopped down.

當他父親做生意回來時，發現樹被砍倒了。

He was angry and immediately went to his son and asked, And George replied honestly, Mr. Washington was so impressed that his son would admit fault that he forgave George, embraced him, and declared that his son's honesty was worth a thousand trees.

他很生氣，立即去問兒子，喬治誠實地回答說："我是誠實的。"華盛頓先生對兒子肯認錯印象深刻，他原諒了喬治，擁抱了他，並宣佈兒子的誠實勝過千棵大樹。

Generations of American children have been told this story.

世世代代的美國兒童都聽過這個故事。

It presents our first president as a naturally honest and upright man, and that we too can be like him.

它將我們的第一任總統描繪成一個天生誠實正直的人，我們也可以像他一樣。

It teaches us that it's always best to be honest, and to admit fault when we've done something wrong.

它告訴我們，做人最好誠實，做錯事就認錯。

It also shows Washington's father to be a lenient and kind-hearted parent, who does not punish his son severely for a careless mistake.

這也顯示出華盛頓的父親是一位寬厚仁慈的家長，他不會因為兒子不小心犯下的錯誤而嚴厲懲罰他。

All fine lessons, I suppose, but did it actually happen?

我想，這些都是很好的教訓，但它真的發生過嗎？

Did young George chop down his father's tree, or is it just a legend?

是小喬治砍倒了他父親的樹，還是這只是一個傳說？

If so, where did the story come from?

如果是，故事從何而來？

Let's find out.

讓我們一探究竟。

This video is brought to you by my Patreon.

本視頻由我的 Patreon 贊助。

If you want to help out the channel, please click the link in the description to check out the perks that come with becoming a patron.

如果您想為頻道出一份力，請點擊說明中的鏈接，瞭解成為贊助人的好處。

Thanks, now back to the video.

謝謝，現在回到視頻上來。

So, the short answer is...

所以，簡短的答案是...

Maybe?

可能嗎？

But probably not.

但可能不會。

So, where did this story come from?

那麼，這個故事從何而來？

Well, first let's give some background.

首先，讓我們介紹一下背景情況。

I assume most of you know George Washington.

我想你們大多數人都知道喬治-華盛頓。

He's the father of the country, first president, founding father, commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

他是國父、首任總統、開國元勳、美國革命戰爭時期的大陸軍司令。

He's on the one dollar bill, he has a state and a district named after him.

他出現在一美元鈔票上，有一個州和一個區以他的名字命名。

He's one of the most well-known and most celebrated figures in American history.

他是美國曆史上最知名、最著名的人物之一。

The reason I mention all of this is that the way we see him now is not too dissimilar to how he was seen during his lifetime.

我之所以提到這些，是因為我們現在對他的看法與他生前對他的看法並無二致。

And when he died, you can be sure his star continued to rise.

他去世後，可以肯定的是，他的星光仍在繼續閃耀。

Now, we come to this man, Mason Locke Weems, also called Parson Weems.

現在，我們來看看這個人，梅森-洛克-威姆斯，也叫威姆斯牧師。

He was a traveling minister and bookseller, and he realized after Washington's death in 1799 that the American public would be hungry for info about their beloved first president.

他是一位巡迴牧師和書商，1799 年華盛頓去世後，他意識到美國公眾渴望瞭解他們敬愛的第一任總統的資訊。

He wrote his publisher, So, Weems saw this opportunity and decided to write Washington's first biography, The Life of Washington.

於是，威姆斯看到了這個機會，決定撰寫華盛頓的第一本傳記《華盛頓的一生》。

He published it only a year after Washington's death, and it became an instant bestseller.

華盛頓去世僅一年後，他就出版了這本書，並立即成為暢銷書。

Weems was a smart and savvy writer, understanding that the public would want to know more about Washington's private life rather than his well-known public career.

威姆斯是一位聰明睿智的作家，他明白公眾更想了解的是華盛頓的私生活，而不是他眾所周知的公開職業生涯。

So, the biography delved into his childhood and relationship with his father.

是以，傳記深入探討了他的童年以及與父親的關係。

Funnily enough, the cherry tree story didn't show up until the book's fifth edition, published in 1806.

有趣的是，櫻桃樹的故事直到該書的第五版，即 1806 年出版時才出現。

Also, in the original story, George doesn't chop down the tree, as that would be very difficult for a six-year-old boy.

此外，在原版故事中，喬治並沒有砍樹，因為這對一個六歲的小男孩來說非常困難。

He merely gouged it, and the tree later died.

他只是刨了一下，樹後來就死了。

Anyway, how do we know the story is likely false?

無論如何，我們怎麼知道這個故事很可能是假的？

Well, we don't find the story mentioned or even referenced ever before 1806 in Weems' book.

在威姆斯的書中，我們沒有發現這個故事在 1806 年之前被提及或提到過。

There's no reference to it in Washington's letters or diary entries.

華盛頓的書信和日記中都沒有提到這一點。

None of his friends or family seem to mention it.

他的朋友或家人似乎都沒有提及此事。

So, it's difficult to see how Weems would have found out about this private information years after Washington's death.

是以，很難理解威姆斯是如何在華盛頓去世多年後才發現這些私人資訊的。

Washington's father, Augustine Washington, died when George was only 11 years old.

華盛頓的父親奧古斯丁-華盛頓在喬治年僅 11 歲時就去世了。

So, it wasn't from him the story was told.

所以，故事並不是從他口中說出來的。

Weems claimed to have been told the story by an elderly woman, a cousin of some sort to the Washington family.

威姆斯聲稱是一位老婦人告訴他這個故事的，這位老婦人是華盛頓家族的某個表親。

But since this woman was anonymous, it's a pretty unreliable source.

但由於這位女士是匿名的，所以消息來源很不可靠。

So, what happened?

那麼，發生了什麼？

Did he just make the story up?

這故事是他編的嗎？

Well, maybe.

也許吧

Or maybe he really did hear the story from someone, but didn't confirm it.

或者他真的從別人那裡聽說了這個故事，但沒有證實。

Let's look at why he may have made the story up.

讓我們來看看他為什麼會編造這個故事。

Remember that Parson Weems was a minister.

請記住，威姆斯牧師是一位牧師。

He was concerned with the moral character of the country, and he believed that books should not only be entertaining and informative, but that they should also communicate important life lessons and morals to the reader, especially to young people.

他關注國家的道德品質，認為書籍不僅要寓教於樂、內容豐富，還要向讀者，尤其是年輕人傳達重要的人生道理和道德規範。

Weems was also a Federalist.

威姆斯也是聯邦黨人。

The Federalists were an early American political party that believed in order, a strong central government, and the importance of moral leadership.

聯邦黨是美國早期的一個政黨，信奉秩序、強大的中央政府以及道德上司的重要性。

Weems saw Washington as exemplifying these beliefs, and thought that the story of the cherry tree showed that Washington's political success was due to his private virtues and faith.

威姆斯認為華盛頓是這些信仰的典範，並認為櫻桃樹的故事表明華盛頓的政治成功得益於他的個人美德和信仰。

Lastly, Weems was not a historian, and many scholars believe he was motivated by money and fame, rather than telling a true picture of Washington.

最後，威姆斯不是歷史學家，許多學者認為他的動機是金錢和名聲，而不是講述華盛頓的真實形象。

He himself often said his writing was artful, and he even admitted that his approach was to throw facts together into a romance.

他自己也常說他的寫作是藝術性的，他甚至承認他的寫作方法是將事實拼湊成浪漫的故事。

And he was known for exaggerating and embellishing certain facts in his work.

他還以在作品中誇大和美化某些事實而聞名。

The book, and by extension the cherry tree story, were very popular and influential.

這本書以及櫻桃樹的故事廣受歡迎，影響深遠。

It was cemented in the minds of young Americans starting in the 1830s, when William Holmes McGuffey included the story in his McGuffey Readers, a series of elementary school textbooks that were used by most public schools in the country up until the early 20th century.

19 世紀 30 年代，威廉-霍爾姆斯-麥加菲將這個故事編入他的《麥加菲讀本》，這一系列小學教科書一直沿用到 20 世紀初，從而使這個故事在美國年輕人的心中根深蒂固。

The story appeared outside of books as well.

這個故事也出現在書本之外。

P.T.

P.T.

Barnum, no not him, the real one, yes him, he bought an enslaved woman in 1825 named Joyce Heath.

巴納姆，不，不是他，是真正的巴納姆，沒錯，就是他，他在 1825 年買下了一個名叫喬伊斯-希斯的被奴役婦女。

He made her a side attraction, claiming she was the woman who raised George Washington.

他把她作為一個吸引人的側面，聲稱她是撫養喬治-華盛頓長大的女人。

This was patently ridiculous, as she would have had to have been over 160 years old for this to be true.

這顯然是荒謬的，因為她的年齡必須超過 160 歲才可能是真的。

But people believed it, and she told stories of George's childhood, especially the cherry tree myth.

但人們相信了，她講起了喬治童年的故事，尤其是櫻桃樹的神話。

I should make it clear that not all historians categorize this story as a myth, and say it's plausible it happened.

我想說明的是，並非所有歷史學家都把這個故事歸類為神話，並認為它的發生是可信的。

The popular fact-checking website Snopes categorizes the cherry tree story as unproven rather than false.

著名的事實核查網站 Snopes 將櫻桃樹的故事歸類為未經證實而非虛假。

What's important though is there's no real way to know for sure, and that's not how the story has been presented to generations of Americans, who grew up believing the tale to be wholly true.

但重要的是，我們無法真正確定，而一代又一代的美國人也並非如此，他們從小就相信這個故事是完全真實的。

I think the history of this story is a fascinating look into how myths and legends are created, and how we're not immune to them in the modern age.

我認為，這個故事的歷史令人著迷，它讓我們瞭解神話和傳說是如何產生的，以及我們在現代如何也無法倖免於神話和傳說的影響。

It's interesting that a relatively young country like the United States inevitably creates mythology around our long-dead leaders, similar to how old countries like England, France, or China do with their long-dead kings and emperors.

有趣的是，像美國這樣一個相對年輕的國家，不可避免地會圍繞我們逝去已久的領導人創造神話，就像英國、法國或中國這樣的古老國家對待逝去已久的國王和皇帝一樣。

Thanks for watching my video.

感謝您觀看我的視頻。

Please like, comment, and subscribe.

請點贊、評論和訂閱。

And if you want to support me and what I do, I'd really appreciate it if you checked out my Patreon.

如果您想支持我和我的工作，請訪問我的 Patreon，我將不勝感激。

The link's in the description.

鏈接在說明中。

Bye!

再見！

You

你