Thread by @AlexPetrovnia

The US almost had a king but it was determined he was likely too gay to produce an heir and the founders were worried about a power vacuum destabilizing the country.

https://twitter.com/EricMGarcia/status/1505710196739514373

Should I turn this into a mini thread with details?

OKAY, SO.
Way back in the old times of the United States, the Continental Congress was desperately trying to hold onto power after narrowly winning the war against England.

There's common revisionist history around the idea that the Americans fought the war to abolish the monarchy. This wasn't true. They fought the war to abolish taxes they didn't like, and to be able to have representation in the court of their government.

The Continental Congress was out of funds - especially relevant bc they couldn't pay the very soldiers that had just won them the war. Many soldiers understandably felt anger at this new government who couldn't even pay them, and some revolted under Daniel Shays.

Although the revolt was quelled, things remained incredibly tense and the Continental Congress needed SOMETHING to bring stability to the new nation before it dissolved into total anarchy. They decided to try to go back to what was common among "civilized" nations. A monarchy.

The great hero of the war - George Washington - had no heirs. We now know he was likely infertile.
But the power of a monarchy is largely maintained through royal lineages - particularly the idea that royal lineages are ordained by God. So they needed someone of royal heritage.

So, in 1786, the President of the Continental Congress, Nathaniel Gorham, wrote to Prince Henry, the younger brother of Frederick the Great, the Prussian King. In that letter, he invited Prince Henry to assume kingship and become the king of the United States.

Americans overall looked at Prussia favorably, and at Prince Henry particularly favorably, due to the recommendation of Friedrich von Steuben. von Steuben had fought at Valley Forge and was trusted by Alexander Hamilton, who passed on his recommendation for Prince Henry to the CC

Now here's where things become scandalous and a bit speculative. Prince Henry officially declined the offer on the grounds that the American people would not accept a new king after overthrowing a previous one.

Rumors about Prince Henry's reputation among the gentlemen of the upper classes abounded. There's even a rumor that Alexander Hamilton (who was famously bisexual) in part supported Prince Henry because he found his portrait handsome.

Prince Henry, for his part, was about as openly gay as one could be in the late 1700s. He openly courted his lovers, had no children with his wife, and was even relieved of prestigious military positions due to his tendency to sleep with other officers.

It's doubtful that Hamilton wouldn't have known this about him at the time Hamilton vouched for Prince Henry to the Continental Congress. Although the offer was formally rejected, plans to move on without a king began before Prince Henry's reply was received.

This indicates that the Continental Congress likely rethought their decision before Prince Henry rejected. What new information could they have come across that would have turned them away from a candidate who was an accomplished general of royal lineage and high prestige?

Sources for your further reading:
gayinfluence.blogspot.com/2013/10/prince…
time.com/5459916/americ…

Another interesting thing to note is that the Presidency was initially more like a reformed sort of kingship. Hamilton argued that it should be a lifelong position and others insisted that the President should be granted titles such as "your majesty".

I'm fact, if Washington hadn't been infertile, we're left to wonder if the United States wouldn't have been a monarchy under a different name. In addition to this, it was George Washington who codified presidential terms and term limits rather than serving as President for life.

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Honestly it's tragic this story wasn't covered in the famous rap musical