The Evolving Biography and Myths of George Washington

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George Washington grew Hemp. In his Journals at the library of Congress. He also grew many other type of crops, but believed in crop rotation and, yes the man grew hemp.

Clif Deruvall of TX 5:15PM February 21, 2011

In Washington's diary from August 7, 1765, he writes, "Began to separate the Male from the Female hemp … rather too late."
George Washington was growing Hemp, AKA: Marijuana. There is NO reason to "separate" the male and female hemp plants in the production of rope, canvas or any of the other thousands of products Hemp was used for during the colonial era. The only reason Washington would have been separating the males and females is to reproduce the Indian (think India) drug varieties, and he no doubt did this as to be able to make any of the many pharmaceutical remedies that utilized Cannabis at that time, if you don't think so, look it up in any pharmacopoeia.
Considering that tobacco smoking was a favorite pastime of the colonialists, I do not think it's much of a stretch of the imagination to consider that they were also smoking the Indian hemp they were growing.

Todd McCormick of CA 1:04PM February 21, 2011

More myths, more bad history.....
See the following film that incorrectly depicts George Washington discussing politics with his slave Billy Lee and includes incorrect historical info from the Director of Gunston Hall about George Mason and the Constitution.
Fractured Union film: www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/mount_vernon/fractured_union/index.html
Director of Gunston Hall commits major faux pas; incorrectly states the Virginia Constitutional Delegation supported the Bill of Rights. George Mason and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts were the two delegates that made a motion to add a bill of rights at the Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The motion was turned down unanimously.
Partial transcript
Jack Warren, Executive Director, Society of the Cincinnati: “Madison convinced him [George Washington] that the republic itself would crumble if the Articles of Confederation weren’t substantially revised and Washington felt compelled to protect the republic even at the sacrifice of his reputation.”
Peter Henriques, Associate Professor Emeritus, George Mason University: “The fact that he [George Washington] is going to go makes it a tremendously important meeting and if he’s going to be there, then others want to go and it takes on prominence that it would not have.”
Stuart Leibiger, Chair, History Department, La Salle University: “People arrived in Philadelphia with different ideas of exactly what would happen and it is only as the debates at Philadelphia unfolded, I think, it became clear, that they would really be overthrowing or scrapping the Articles of Confederation entirely.”
David Reese, Director, Gunston Hall Plantation: “The Virginia Delegation at the Convention were in agreement that when it was time for the states to ratify the new constitution, they would ask for a bill of rights and they had already agreed to that. That was not enough for Mason. He did not want to empower a new government that did not guarantee the rights of every individual.”
Next scene: Colonel George Mason and James Madison in Philadelphia discussing Mason’s refusal to sign the Constitution, September 1787. Mason is 62 and Madison is 36.

BM of VA 1:27PM February 11, 2011