One of the things I've noticed on Facebook the past two years is the great number of bogus quotes attributed to the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. This is one currently making the rounds, Like Washington would have encouraged insurrection while he presided as President. This is a blatant distortion, as noted by guncite , of a speech Washington gave before Congress in 1790. The actual quote is, 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 on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies. Washington, like many other Americans, was worried the fledgling United States was in a poor military position in regard to its hostile neighbors, Britain, France and Spain , and was encouraging the manufacture of more weapons to arm state militias and the mar...