copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2019-04-26): The statement attributed to the first U.S. president reads, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. Much like the cherry tree legend about him, however, the quote appears to be a fabrication. The statement, which is often referred to as the "liberty teeth" quote, is listed by Mount Vernon (Washington's historical estate) under "spurious quotations" attributed to Washington. It "does not show up in any of Washington's writings, nor does any closely related quote," per the estate. Nevertheless, the quote gets trotted out with some regularity. In 2013 the progressive media watchdog organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) noted it was employed in a Playboy magazine article as far back as 1995, and was thus the subject of a subsequent retraction. The quote was also one of several erroneous ones included in the language of a Washington state bill dubbed the "firearms civil rights act" in 2016.
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2020-05-29): "People often want him to have said things that he didn’t," Harrison explains. "For example, there are quite a few Washington quotes about the Second Amendment or about firearms that are made up, or that have parts of the quote removed." [...] Harrison says that Washington’s thoughts on the right to bear arms are few and far between. It’s also hard to guess how he would view our 21st-century interpretations of the Second Amendment since our firearms didn’t exist in his day. [...] Not all fabricated quotes are about firearms, of course. Others relate to religion, Washington’s mother, and his famed inability to tell a lie, which comes from the Parson Mason Weems’ biography of George as a young man. The more these falsehoods circulate, the less we understand Washington as a complete person.
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2015-02-26): Dear Quote Investigator: Are you familiar with the "liberty teeth" speech attributed to George Washington? Researchers have been unable to find evidence that Washington delivered this address, and some phrases are apparently anachronistic. Would you please explore its provenance? [...] They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence — From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable — The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honour with all that’s good. [...] I wonder, too, whether George Washington actually said that "firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself" and "deserve a place of honor with all that’s good."
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2023-01-27): They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good. As stirring as that quote is to some people, George Washington never wrote or said that, nor did he say anything to that effect. The likely source of that quote is an article from a 1926 issue of a magazine called Hunter-Trapper-Trader. George Washington is hardly the only founding father being falsely quoted like this; a Google search is all it takes to discover that the majority of pro-gun quotes commonly attributed to the founding fathers are fakes, or are taken out of context. Thomas Jefferson never wrote "the strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government;" these words were first printed by the Orlando Sentinel in the late 1980s.
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2015-07-28): –Winston Churchill "In Revolutionary times, the cry "No taxation without representation" was not an economic complaint. Rather, it was directly traceable to the eminently fair and just principle that no sovereign power has the right to govern without the consent of the governed. Anything short of that was tyranny. It was against this tyranny that the colonists "fired the shot heard ’round the world." Independence Day Oration, July 4th, 1946 –John F. Kennedy "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. — George Washington "As far as military necessity will permit, religiously respect the constitutional rights of all."
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2013-01-09): To make the case that gun ownership was not just a right, but something akin to a sacrament, Hannity quoted George Washington, telling Green: "George Washington: ‘Rifles and pistols are equally indispensable.’ ‘They deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.'" The words are part of a well-worn favorite conservative passage known as the "Liberty Teeth" quote. It reads in its entirety: [...] The "liberty teeth" quote is so well known as a fraud that the pro-gun Second Amendment Foundation, in inveighing against the use of bogus quotes as "counterproductive," to the cause, cites it as the prime example, and "perhaps the most infamous bogus saying attributed to a Founding Father."
Claim: Claims that George Washington once said, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty, teeth and keystone under independence." (Viral Quote, 2019-08-09)
Evidence (2007-09-22): The "Liberty Teeth" Speech by George Washington [...] When firearms, go all goes; we need them every hour.This quotation, sometimes called the "liberty teeth" quote, appears nowhere in Washington's papers or speeches, and contains several historical anachronisms: the reference to "prairie wagon" in an America which had yet to even begin settling the Great Plains (which were owned by France at the time), the reference to "the Pilgrims" which implies a modern historical perspective, and particularly the attempt by "Washington" to defend the utility of firearms (by use of statistics!) to an audience which would have used firearms in their daily lives to obtain food, defend against hostile Indians, and which had only recently won a war for independence. [...] The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) also comments (excerpted with permission) on the liberty teeth speech as follows: "This has several variations including 'hour' for 'moment' and sometimes added as part of an actual Washington quote 'A free people ought not only to be armed...' The various citations are even more numerous than different wordings: Address to the Second Session of the First U.S. Congress; Speech to Congress of January 7, 1790, printed in the Boston Independent Chronicle, January 14, 1790; the Federalist No. 53; Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1785."
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-23): There is no evidence for this claim. There are no credible news reports that mention Campbell’s mother.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-09-01): Tafari Campbell’s widow didn’t expose the Obama family, contrary to social media claims [...] This video offers no evidence that the wife of the late Tafari Campbell, personal chef to the Obama family, "exposed" the Obama family in any way or blamed them for her husband’s death. We also found no evidence to support the claim. [...] Rather than elaborating on the allegation that Campbell’s widow recently exposed the Obama family, the video’s narrator delves into an old debunked claim that the late comedian, Joan Rivers, was killed after she made comments about former President Barack Obama’s sexuality and former first lady Michelle Obama’s gender identity.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-22): If Your Time is short - This recording isn’t authentic. We found no evidence that the wife of the late Tafari Campbell, personal chef to the Obama family, blamed the former president for her husband’s death. The recent drowning death of Tafari Campbell, the Obama family’s personal chef, was ruled an accident. State police have said former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama weren’t home when Campbell was seen struggling in the water July 23 while paddleboarding near the family’s Martha’s Vineyard summer home off the Massachusetts coast. But conspiracy theories have abounded in the weeks since. [...] New York Post, Wife of drowned Obama family chef Tafari Campbell shares tribute: ‘My heart is broken,’ July 25, 2023
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2016-12-12): "I think the narrative of the Obama family may be," says Gerald Early, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and director of its Center for Humanities, "that some people will look at them and say, ‘They’re the exception. They’re not the typical black family.’ The response to that by many black people will be, ‘Here is the black family to aspire to. Here is a black father contributing to his loving family.’ And still other blacks will say, ‘We know a lot of other black families like the Obamas. It’s just that people haven’t noticed them because they’ve been focusing on the dysfunctional part of black family life."
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2021-03-29): NAIROBI, Kenya — Sarah Obama, the matriarch of former President Barack Obama's Kenyan family, has died, relatives and officials confirmed Monday. She was at least 99 years old. [...] "The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a strong, virtuous woman, a matriarch who held together the Obama family and was an icon of family values," President Uhuru Kenyatta said.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2024-09-11): "Video: Reflections on Obama's mother (02:34)". Chicago Tribune. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009. [...] - ^ a b Martin, Jonathan (April 8, 2008). "Obama's mother known here as "uncommon"". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009. [...] - ^ a b c d McCormick, John (September 21, 2007). "Obama's mother in new ad". Chicago Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-12-21): However, videos like this one about former first lady Michelle Obama and late family chef Tafari Campbell were nothing more than misleading clickbait, as were the thumbnail images meant to entice users to click. [...] Campbell drowned near the Obamas' waterfront estate on Martha's Vineyard in July 2023. The drowning was ruled to be an accident by the chief medical examiner of Massachusetts. The Obamas were not home at the time, according to Massachusetts State Police. [...] We previously reported on a number of individual rumors about Campbell's death, some that were mentioned in the Drama Bay video. We also published the heartfelt remarks that were posted by the Obamas that paid tribute to their late chef.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-24): EDGARTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS: Tafari Campbell, the personal chef of two-time President Barack Obama died in an accident near the Martha’s Vineyard Estate of the Obama family while paddleboarding. The incident took place in late July in Massachusetts state, as per reports. [...] Conspiracy theorists claimed that the chef was writing a tell-all book on the Obamas before he was 'found with head trauma in 3 to 4 feet of water on the Obama estate.' [...] In a statement following his death, the Obamas said Tafari Campbell was among the best chefs in the White House kitchen. "Tafari was a beloved part of our family."
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-27): If Your Time is short - We found no evidence to support this claim. The drowning death of Tafari Campbell, the Obamas’ personal chef, was ruled accidental. The recent drowning death of the Obama family’s personal chef, Tafari Campbell, was ruled an accident by the chief medical examiner of Massachusetts, where Campbell’s body was found off the coast after he was seen struggling in the water while paddleboarding. That hasn’t stopped unfounded conspiracy theories suggesting that former President Barack Obama or his wife, Michelle Obama, are behind Campbell’s death.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-12-21): We've previously fact-checked other false celebrity gossip rumors about the Obamas, like the unfounded claim that Michelle Obama mistreated late family chef Tafari Campbell. (Campbell's death was also mentioned in the YouTube video about Melissa Rivers.)
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-30): A video shared on Facebook alleges Tafari Campbell’s mother spoke out to "expose" the Obama family following the death of her son. [...] A Facebook post alleges Campbell’s mother has spoken out and "exposed" the Obama family. The thumbnail includes a photo of Campbell in his chef uniform and a Black woman visibly upset. "Based on the evidence I’ve seen and the testimonies I’ve heard, I believe that the Obamas, who my son served loyally for years, have a role in his tragic demise," a narrator in the post claims Campbell’s mother told the media.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-25): "Why was Tafari Campbell murdered?" asks an Aug. 25 Facebook post that plumbs conspiracy theories, including that former President Barack Obama was responsible for the July 23 death of Campbell, his family’s personal chef. [...] We’ve previously debunked several claims about Campbell, including that his mother spoke out to expose the Obamas; that his wife blamed Obama for her husband’s death; and that before he died, Campbell said he had information that would lead to Obama’s arrest. Campbell wasn’t murdered, officials said. And state police have said Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama weren’t home when Campbell was seen struggling in the water July 23 while paddleboarding near the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home off the Massachusetts coast.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-30): FACT CHECK: Did Tafari Campbell’s Mom Speak Out To ‘Expose’ The Obama Family?
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-07-25): Wife of drowned Obama family chef Tafari Campbell shares tribute: ‘My heart is broken’ [...] Tafari Campbell, 45, was found unconscious in 8 feet of water about 100 feet from the banks of the Obamas’ estate on Edgartown Great Pond on Monday morning. [...] When the Obamas left Washington, D.C., Campbell joined their personal staff.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2024-09-07): While Barack and Michelle Obama wanted to ensure their daughters Sasha and Malia grew up as "normal" as possible, one way that they extended the perks of the White House into their everyday lives after Barack was no longer president was by hiring their own personal chef. They went with White House sous chef Tafari Campbell. However, Campbell's life ended six years after Obama left office after a paddleboarding outing went tragically wrong. On the evening of July 23, 2023, Campbell was paddling out on the water near Barack and Michelle's Martha's Vineyard estate, and he was seen going under the water and not coming back up, which triggered a large, hours-long search. [...] Tafari Campbell had a positive relationship with the Obama family [...] After news broke that Campbell had died, Michelle and Barack Obama released a statement about him and the impact he'd had on their lives. "When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter," as reported by AP News. The whole family, including Sasha and Malia, were close to many on the White House staff, but clearly Campbell held a special place in their hearts as their personal chef, post-White House.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2024-09-26): Obama's mother was born Stanley Ann Dunham. She became an anthropologist, specializing in economic anthropology and rural development. She earned her PhD degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and worked with the United States Agency for International Development, the Ford Foundation, and Women's World Banking, to promote the use of microcredit in order to combat global poverty.[53][60] The Ann Dunham Soetoro Endowment in the Anthropology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Ann Dunham Soetoro Graduate Fellowships at the East–West Center (EWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, are named in her honor.[61] Obama has said that his mother was the dominant figure of his formative years. "The values she taught me continue to be my touchstone when it comes to how I go about the world of politics."[62] [...] Obama's family in Kenya are members of the Jok'Obama, a clan belonging to the Luo people, the nation's second-largest ethnic group. Linguistically, Luo is one of the Nilotic languages. The Obama family is concentrated in the western Kenyan province of Nyanza. [...] - ^ Sheridan, Michael (February 5, 2007). "Secrets of Obama Family Unlocked". Muslim Observer. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2008-04-09): Obama’s mother was a dreamer. She made risky bets that paid off only some of the time, choices that her children had to live with. She fell in love–twice–with fellow students from distant countries she knew nothing about. Both marriages failed, and she leaned on her parents and friends to help raise her two children. [...] Obama’s mother cared deeply about helping poor women, and she had two biracial children. But neither of them remembers her talking about sexism or racism. "She spoke mostly in positive terms: what we are trying to do and what we can do," says Soetoro-Ng, who is now a history teacher at a girls’ high school in Honolulu. "She wasn’t ideological," notes Obama. "I inherited that, I think, from her. She was suspicious of cant." He remembers her joking that she wanted to get paid as much as a man, but it didn’t mean she would stop shaving her legs. In his recent Philadelphia speech on race, in which he acknowledged the grievances of blacks and whites, Obama was consciously channeling his mother. "When I was writing that speech," he told nbc News, "her memory loomed over me. Is this something that she would trust?" When it came to race, Obama told me, "I don’t think she was entirely comfortable with the more aggressive or militant approaches to African-American politics."
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-23): No, Tafari Campbell’s mother didn’t accuse former President Barack Obama in her son’s death [...] "Mom of Barrack Obama’s chef speaks out to expose Obama family," reads the description of an Aug. 23 Facebook post, misspelling the former president’s first name. [...] "In a tearful press conference, Tafari Campbell’s mother, Mrs. Loretta Campbell, addressed the media: ‘It’s with a heavy heart that I stand before you all today,’" the narrator says. "‘My son Tafari was not just a chef, he was a loving father, a caring husband, and my pride and joy. The pain of losing him is unbearable and the quest for truth has been agonizing. Based on the evidence I’ve seen and the testimonies I’ve heard, I believe that the Obamas, who my son served loyally for years, have a role in his tragic demise … I demand justice for Tafari and demand the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.’"
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-08-21): Campbell's Wife Did Not 'Expose' the Obamas [...] However, the video presented no evidence that Campbell's wife, Sherise Campbell, was planning to "expose" the Obama family. [...] The thumbnail image for the video displayed a picture of Obama and Campbell with the words, "Exposing Gay Affair?"
Claim: Campbell’s mother spoke out to 'expose' the Obama family (Viral Post, 2023-08-23)
Evidence (2023-07-25): Even those who considered him a friend didn’t know for certain that Campbell was the personal chef for one of the most recognizable families in the world. Rahman "Rock" Harper, chef and founder of Queen Mother’s Fried Chicken in Arlington, Va., had known Campbell when he worked at the White House, where he cooked for two presidents as a sous chef from 2007 to 2016. Campbell left the White House to work for the Obamas, but Harper had to determine that on his own. [...] The tributes started appearing on social media and elsewhere as word of Campbell’s death spread. The Obamas called him a "beloved part of our family." Derrick Wood, the mayor of Dumfries, Va., where Campbell and his wife and family lived, called him "a talented chef, father, husband, and a passionate soul." Sam Kass, a former White House chef and policy adviser, called Campbell "as kind, gentle and decent man as I have met. I never saw him stressed or flustered, he just always quietly handled his business."