Washington Refused an American Crown

After the American Revolution, George Washington was wildly popular—so popular that some

officers in the Continental Army thought the new country would fall apart without a

king. In 1782, a colonel named Lewis Nicola actually wrote Washington

a letter suggesting that he become King George I of America. Washington’s response? Absolutely not.

He shut the idea down immediately, saying he was “mortified” by the suggestion and warning that

turning America into a monarchy would destroy everything the Revolution stood for.

Instead of taking a crown, Washington later stepped down voluntarily after two terms

as president—something that shocked European leaders at the time. That single choice helped cement one