This article examines the story of Washington chopping down the cherry tree, as it appears in school readers. The author discusses the ideological influences that guided authors in molding and shifting the story through the decades. At the end, the author returns to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) revival of Washington, which demonstrates how modern curricular authors have used Washington to align with the new ideology of standards- based education. Using school textbooks for ideological purposes not new-it goes back to the beginnings of widespread education in the US and to George and the cherry tree.