WEBVTT - Was George Washington Almost King of the United States?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. There's a popular yarn among American history

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<v Speaker 1>enthusiasts that George Washington, in the waning months of the

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<v Speaker 1>Revolutionary War, was offered the crown of the fledgling nation

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<v Speaker 1>by a group of American military officers fed up with

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<v Speaker 1>an ineffective Congress. Historians even have Washington's strongly worded rejection

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<v Speaker 1>letter to prove it, but a closer reading of original

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<v Speaker 1>historical documents tells a different story. In this version, the

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<v Speaker 1>widespread frustration of army officers gets mixed up with the

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<v Speaker 1>pro monarchy day dreams of one foolhardy Colonel Washington still

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<v Speaker 1>comes out of hero, but he was never really close

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<v Speaker 1>to being a king. Let's set the scene. The British

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<v Speaker 1>suffered a decisive defeat at Yorktown to American and French

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<v Speaker 1>forces in seventy one, resulting in the capture of seven

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<v Speaker 1>thousand British troops and their leader, General Charles Cornwallis. The

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<v Speaker 1>end of the war was finally near, but the beleaguer

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<v Speaker 1>in American Army under the command of Washington was still

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<v Speaker 1>considered on duty until the Treaty of Paris was signed

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<v Speaker 1>in seventeen eighty three. Back in those preconstitution days, the

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<v Speaker 1>Articles of Confederation handed most power to the States, not

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<v Speaker 1>the federal government. Congress had no power to tax, for example,

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<v Speaker 1>which was a problem when it came to paying and

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<v Speaker 1>equipping the army. Congress had to constantly request military funding

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<v Speaker 1>from the States, which were often slow to pay up,

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<v Speaker 1>if at all. With peace nearly one the army feared

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<v Speaker 1>that Congress was going to stiff them on back pay.

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<v Speaker 1>The officer corps were especially worried about their pensions, which

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<v Speaker 1>they were promised would secure them financially for the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of their lives. Could they trust Congress to keep its

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<v Speaker 1>word an exact payment from the states. Among those army

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<v Speaker 1>officers sweating over their pension in seventeen eighty two was

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<v Speaker 1>Colonel Louis Nicola, a sixty five year old Irish born

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<v Speaker 1>military veteran who lent significant expertise to Washington's forces during

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<v Speaker 1>the war. Nicola and Washington corresponded frequently, usually about Nicola's

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<v Speaker 1>duties as a commander of the Invalid Core, a garrison

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<v Speaker 1>of injured soldiers who were still fit enough to serve

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<v Speaker 1>but Nicola's letter to Washington on May twenty two was

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<v Speaker 1>something completely different. In this now infamous missive, Nicola opened

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<v Speaker 1>with a reminder of what would be at stake if

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<v Speaker 1>the military wasn't properly compensated, namely the threat of open mutiny.

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<v Speaker 1>Niccola wrote, God forbid we should ever think of involving

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<v Speaker 1>that country we have, under your conduct and auspices, rescued

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<v Speaker 1>from oppression into a new scene of blood and confusion.

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<v Speaker 1>But it cannot be expected. We should forego claims on

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<v Speaker 1>which our future subsistence and that of our families depend.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Nicola moved on to what he called his scheme.

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<v Speaker 1>He admitted to Washington that he wasn't a quote, a

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<v Speaker 1>violent admirer of a republican form of government, preferring instead

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<v Speaker 1>a mixed form of government with elected representatives ruled by

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<v Speaker 1>a benevolent monarch. And who better for such a leading

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<v Speaker 1>role than Washington himself. Nicola wrote, some people have so

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<v Speaker 1>connected the ideas of tyranny and monarchy as to find

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<v Speaker 1>it very difficult to separate them. It may therefore be

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<v Speaker 1>requisite to give the head of such a constitution, as

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<v Speaker 1>I propose, some title apparently more moderate. But if all

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<v Speaker 1>things were once adjusted, I believe strong arguments might be

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<v Speaker 1>produced for admitting the title of king, which I conceive

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<v Speaker 1>would be attended with some material advantages. Washington's response, dated

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<v Speaker 1>the very same day, was withering. He wrote, be assured, sir,

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<v Speaker 1>no occurrence in the course of the war has given

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<v Speaker 1>me more painful sensations than your information of there being

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<v Speaker 1>such ideas existing in the army as you have expressed,

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<v Speaker 1>and I must view with abhorrence and reprehend with severity.

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<v Speaker 1>I am much at a loss to conceive what part

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<v Speaker 1>of my conduct could have given encouragement to an address

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<v Speaker 1>which seems to me big with the greatest mischiefs that

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<v Speaker 1>can befall my country. If I am not deceived in

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<v Speaker 1>the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a

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<v Speaker 1>person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable. Washington's rejection

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<v Speaker 1>of an American monarchy was absolute, but was a single

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<v Speaker 1>letter from a presumptuous colonel, the equivalent and of being

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<v Speaker 1>offered the crown, as many believe. We spoke with Denver Brunsman,

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<v Speaker 1>a history professor at George Washington University and scholar of

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<v Speaker 1>the Revolutionary War and of Washington. He thinks it would

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<v Speaker 1>be an exaggeration to say that Washington was ever seriously

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<v Speaker 1>offered the title of king. He said, Niccolo was not

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<v Speaker 1>someone who was in the position to do that, and

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think he was part of any real large movement.

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<v Speaker 1>That doesn't mean there weren't people who had those sentiments,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think Niccolo was representative of that. There were

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<v Speaker 1>other individuals in the Officer Corps who were extremely frustrated

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<v Speaker 1>with Congress and any hope for a possible solution. Brunsman continued,

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<v Speaker 1>what's most important is Washington's reaction to even the notion

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<v Speaker 1>of being king. She shuts down any possibility. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's impressive and shows why Washington was able to garner

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<v Speaker 1>the trust of the American people. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. For more

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<v Speaker 1>on this and lots of other trustworthy topics, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, How Stuff Works Come