42 Presidents and American Symbols: Supplemental Guide 2A | The Legend of George Washington and the Cherry Tree
the tree with my little axe. I wanted to see if I could do it, but now I
know it was a bad thing to do.”Augustine Washington looked at his son. He could tell that George felt
bad for what he had done. Augustine knew that George was sorry for
chopping down the cherry tree.The worker was surprised by George’s confession that he was the
one who cut down the cherry tree. The worker thought that because
of Geroge’s confession, George would be in big trouble with his
father.[Ask students to predict whether George would be in big trouble with his father.
Take a quick class tally.]
Show image 2A-5: George forgiven
But to his surprise, Augustine told his son, “It was a bad thing to do,
George, and you should be punished for doing it. However, because I
respect you so much for coming to me and telling me the truth, if you
will promise not to do such a thing again, I will not punish you.”“I promise, Father,” said George, and he kept that promise.So you see, even as a young boy, George Washington was honest
and took responsibility for his actions. Show image 2A-6: Portrait of George Washington
After George grew up and became the first president of the United
States. One of the things he was most famous for was his honesty—
for always telling the truth.