[Ads-l] Fake GW quote

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A Quote Investigator article about the George Washington misquotation
mentioned by JL back on October 9, 2025 has now been posted.

Quote Origin: They Should Have Sufficient Arms and Ammunition to
Maintain a Status of Independence
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/01/12/arms-maintain/

[Begin acknowledgement]
Great thanks to Jonathan Lighter whose inquiry led QI to formulate
this question and perform this exploration. Lighter found the 2008
citation. In addition, thanks to the researchers at mountvernon.org,
Snopes, and Wikiquote who all pointed to the 1790 statement from
George Washington. Further thanks to Dan Goncharoff who also pointed
to the 1790 statement.
[End acknowledgement]

Garson

On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 1:28 PM Jonathan Lighter
<00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Nice work, all.
>
> On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 12:17 PM Dan Goncharoff <
> 00001bc983129c8b-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > The real quote:
> >
> > A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a
> > uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest
> > require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them
> > independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.
> >
> > DanG
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 12:07 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > 00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > An article in 1975 attributed the beginning of the quotation to George
> > > Washington, but the remainder of the quotation was not placed between
> > > quotation marks. Some later reader(s) probably misread this passage.
> > >
> > > Date: October 1975
> > > Periodical: Law and Order: An Independent Magazine for the Police
> > > Profession
> > > Volume 23, Number 10
> > > Article: Gun Control or Political Control?
> > > Author: W. Cleon Skousen (Editorial Director)
> > > Start Page 22, Quote Page 22
> > > Publisher: The Copp Organization (Wm. C. Copp), New York
> > > Database: Internet Archive
> > >
> > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > Another expression of the same sentiment is found in the words of
> > > Thomas Jefferson who wrote in his draft of the Virginia Constitution:
> > > "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms," and George
> > > Washington emphasized that "a free people ought not only to be armed
> > > and disciplined" but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition
> > > to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to
> > > abuse them, which would include their own government. (Quoted by Rep.
> > > Philip Crane in the Congressional Record April 21, 1975 pp. E 1896-97)
> > > [End excerpt]
> > >
> > > Also, the October 1996 issue of "New Jersey Militia Newsletter"
> > > attributed the full passage to George Washington.
> > > Snopes and other organizations have written articles on this topic,
> > > but the two citations mentioned above appear to be a new discoveries.
> > >
> > > Website: Snopes
> > > Article: Did George Washington Want Citizens Armed Against the
> > Government?
> > > Date: Jan. 7, 2016
> > > Author: Dan Evon
> > > Did George Washington Want Citizens Armed Against the Government?
> > > https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/george-washington-gun-quote/
> > >
> > > Website: USA Today
> > > Article: Fact check: George Washington didn't say citizens should arm
> > > themselves against government
> > > Author: Tonyaa Weathersbee (USA TODAY)
> > > Updated June 20, 2020
> > >
> > >
> > https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/20/fact-check-washington-quote-second-amendment-taken-out-context/3222186001/
> > >
> > > Website: Mount Vernon
> > > Spurious Quotations
> > >
> > >
> > https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/spurious-quotations
> > >
> > > On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 9:30 AM Jonathan Lighter
> > > <00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Accidentally deleted from the above: "According to Barabara McQuade,
> > > _Attack
> > > > from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America_ (1974), "There
> > is
> > > no
> > > > evidence George Washington ever said any such thing."
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Oct 9, 2025 at 8:24 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > The following, attributed to George Washington, is (as they say) "all
> > > over
> > > > > the Internet":
> > > > >
> > > > > “A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they
> > > should
> > > > > have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of
> > > independence
> > > > > from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their
> > own
> > > > > government."
> > > > >
> > > > > The earliest occurrence I find is in the _Congressional Record_ (June
> > > 26,
> > > > > 2008), quoted by Rep. Paul C. Broun (R.-Ga.).
> > > > >
> > > > > JL
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org