Tag: Mason Locke Weems

Posted on

Revisiting the Prayer at Valley Forge

When George Washington died in 1799, partisan infighting and international crises threatened the survival of the American experiment. Many Americans believed in Washington’s unique ability to unite the country, and his death exacerbated national uncertainties. Enter Mason Locke Weems, whose contributions to Washington mythmaking dwarf those of any individual then or since. As national yearning […]

by Blake McGready
Posted on

The History of Parson Weems

Mason Locke Weems, better known as Parson Weems, considered himself an historian.  But, he was far more interested in pleasing people than he was with writing history.  His exaggerations and fabrications of fact led one commentator to remark that Weems had “a touch of the confidence man in him.” Weems was born in 1759 and […]

by Hugh T. Harrington