September 18, 2025 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, at the end of the Revolutionary War, with soldiers restless and unpaid, whispers spread about replacing Congress with a monarchy. Some even suggested that George Washington take the throne. In what became known as the Newburgh Conspiracy, Washington faced a decision that could have reshaped America’s future. Instead of seizing power, he delivered words that calmed his officers and secured the path of a republic. Washington interpreter Brian Hilton, along with Vince Benedetto, shares the story of the day Washington refused to be king.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories.
It's no small miracle that the United States is the
longest standing constitutional republic in the world. After all, data
shows the shelf life of the average democracy is about
fifty eight years before falling into despotism or otherwise transitioning.
(00:30):
It's a good thing we're not average, but we almost were.
Here to share the story of how George Washington refused
to become a king despite very real attempts to make
him one. Is Vince Benedetto, the founder of Bold Gold
Media Group and a regular contributor here at Our American Stories.
Take it away, Vince.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It was not long after the Battle of Yorktown in
seventeen eighty one, when Washington's decisive victory over the British
all that ended the Revolutionary War. A triumphant Washington made
his new headquarters in Newburgh, where he awaited word of
a treaty that would formerly end the war. But there
(01:25):
were problems on the home front. Washington had to maintain
the Continental Army in a state of readiness should peace
negotiations fail, and his army was suffering and, worst of all,
largely unpaid. They'd endured eight years of hardship, but the
Continental Congress lacked the funds to properly equip and compensate
(01:46):
the soldiers throughout the war. According to Jack Warren, author
of Freedom, The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution, Washington's
officers struggled to maintain order, but most of them were
as angry and frustrated as their men. Like their soldiers,
they too had gone without pet The frustration of the
(02:11):
officers extended far beyond finances. There was an emerging belief
that the Congress was ineffective, incompetent, and unable to govern
the new nation through the vast challenges ahead. This uncertainty
was expressed in a letter now known as the Newburgh Letter,
sent to General Washington by Colonel Louis Nicola on May
twenty second, seventeen eighty two. Professing to speak on behalf
(02:35):
of many officers, Nicola urged Washington to make himself King
of the United States, believing that only Washington had the
moral authority and respect needed to lead the new nation
through the rough times ahead. Washington, faithful to the ideals
of the Revolution, condemned the notion, replying to Nicola quickly
(02:55):
and emphatically he said.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
If you have any regard for your country, concern for
yourself or posterity, or respect for me, banish these thoughts
from your mind, and never communicate as from yourself or
anyone else, a sentiment of the like nature.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Washington understood history was littered with examples of generals becoming
absolute rulers in the wake of their victories. He also
understood that, since the dawn of the Revolution, many feared
he too, might become an American Cromwell. In early seventeen
eighty three, frustration within the ranks of Washington's officer corps
(03:44):
reached its apex, but became now known as the Newburgh Conspiracy,
began to formulate in early March when anonymous letters began circulating.
The first, authored by an aid to General Horatio Gates,
encouraged officers to gather and to discuss their grievances, and
even proposed defying Congress and refusing to disband if their
(04:08):
demands were not met. This letter was followed by a
second designed to further inflame passions, intimating open military rebellion
if Congress failed to act on the verge of a
mass mutiny. Washington, who had led his army, through many battles,
stepped into the breach. Aware of the anonymous letters, he
(04:31):
issued a general order the very next day, disrupting the
conspirator's planned gathering. He also cleverly implied that he may
not even be present at that meeting, and it would
be led by the senior officer in attendance. What followed
was one of the great examples of leadership and stagecraft
(04:52):
in American military history. Washington was keenly aware that addressing
the officers directly and condemning them could run the risk
of losing their support, but he also understood that ignoring
the map would be even worse. When the day arrived,
(05:16):
there was no sign of Washington. Starting the meeting was
General Gates, who began by riling up his audience, But
soon after the door swung open and General Washington entered
the room, much to the shock of Gates and the
officers present. Gates did the only thing he could do.
(05:39):
He relinquished the floor to Washington. Rather than choose to
use the force of his command or implicit threats, Washington
chose the path of moral persuasion. His preparation was meticulous,
(06:03):
as he sought to address the officer's grievances and the
broader threat to Republican governance posed by ideas contained in
those anonymous letters. He also explained that he was working
on their behalf to make sure Congress would not betray
their commitments to the army. Washington then reminded the officers
that they were men of honor, making it clear this
(06:26):
moment required the same commitment to duty that tested their
resolve and courage on the battlefield.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
He said to them, you will give one more distinguished
proof of unexampled patriotism and patient virtue, rising superior to
the pressure of the most complicated sufferings. And you will,
by the dignity of your conduct, afford occasion for posterity
(06:56):
to say, when speaking of the glorious example U you
have exhibited to mankind, had this day been wanting, the
world had never seen the last stage of perfection to
which human nature is capable of attaining.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
What happened next might very well have been the single
act by Washington that saved our republic. As he began
to read a letter he'd received from a member of
Congress attempting to address their plight, the now older Washington
struggled to read the letter due to his declining eyesight.
(07:36):
His soldiers noticed him struggling, and Washington noticed them. Noticing
masterfully reading the room, Washington, in a rare moment of vulnerability, paused.
He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a
pair of reading glasses. His troops were astonished. None had
(07:56):
ever seen their general showing any sign of weakness or age.
Washington then looked at them.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
And he said, gentlemen, you will permit me to put
on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray
but almost blind in service to my country.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles,
for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind
in service to my country. Historians have debated whether Washington
staged this moment but calculated or not. The impact was
emotionally overwhelming, as his troops were moved to tears. When
(08:46):
Washington left the room, any thought of mutiny ceased, and
for one final time, his troops followed Washington's leave and
his example. This moment represented something far deeper than stopping
a rebellion within the ranks. Washington established that elected civilian
authority of the military must at all times be maintained
(09:10):
and cherished, and that any attempt to undermine it was
a betrayal of the revolution itself. The meeting concluded with
his officers committing to support the Congress and rejecting any
calls for a rebellion or open defiance. The Treaty of
(09:30):
Paris was signed in September of seventeen eighty three, officially
ending the Revolutionary War, and thanks to Washington's continued advocacy,
his officer's grievances were addressed by Congress, although imperfectly, when
they approved half pay pensions for life. As a new
year approached on a day that should be remembered second
(09:53):
only to our Independence Day, Washington fulfilled his destiny not
as a American Cromwell, but as the American Cincinnatus on
December twenty third, seventeen eighty three. He defied nearly every
historic precedent, and he resigned his commission, voluntarily relinquishing his
(10:18):
sword to the Continental Congress, asking for nothing in return.
Washington was a civilian once again, and he returned to
his home at Mount Verney.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
The story of George Washington and how he averted a
coup and refused to become king here on our American stories,
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories.
It's no small miracle that the United States is the
longest standing constitutional republic in the world. After all, data
shows the shelf life of the average democracy is about
fifty eight years before falling into despotism or otherwise transitioning.
(00:30):
It's a good thing we're not average, but we almost were.
Here to share the story of how George Washington refused
to become a king despite very real attempts to make
him one. Is Vince Benedetto, the founder of Bold Gold
Media Group and a regular contributor here at Our American Stories.
Take it away, Vince.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It was not long after the Battle of Yorktown in
seventeen eighty one, when Washington's decisive victory over the British
all that ended the Revolutionary War. A triumphant Washington made
his new headquarters in Newburgh, where he awaited word of
a treaty that would formerly end the war. But there
(01:25):
were problems on the home front. Washington had to maintain
the Continental Army in a state of readiness should peace
negotiations fail, and his army was suffering and, worst of all,
largely unpaid. They'd endured eight years of hardship, but the
Continental Congress lacked the funds to properly equip and compensate
(01:46):
the soldiers throughout the war. According to Jack Warren, author
of Freedom, The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution, Washington's
officers struggled to maintain order, but most of them were
as angry and frustrated as their men. Like their soldiers,
they too had gone without pet The frustration of the
(02:11):
officers extended far beyond finances. There was an emerging belief
that the Congress was ineffective, incompetent, and unable to govern
the new nation through the vast challenges ahead. This uncertainty
was expressed in a letter now known as the Newburgh Letter,
sent to General Washington by Colonel Louis Nicola on May
twenty second, seventeen eighty two. Professing to speak on behalf
(02:35):
of many officers, Nicola urged Washington to make himself King
of the United States, believing that only Washington had the
moral authority and respect needed to lead the new nation
through the rough times ahead. Washington, faithful to the ideals
of the Revolution, condemned the notion, replying to Nicola quickly
(02:55):
and emphatically he said.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
If you have any regard for your country, concern for
yourself or posterity, or respect for me, banish these thoughts
from your mind, and never communicate as from yourself or
anyone else, a sentiment of the like nature.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Washington understood history was littered with examples of generals becoming
absolute rulers in the wake of their victories. He also
understood that, since the dawn of the Revolution, many feared
he too, might become an American Cromwell. In early seventeen
eighty three, frustration within the ranks of Washington's officer corps
(03:44):
reached its apex, but became now known as the Newburgh Conspiracy,
began to formulate in early March when anonymous letters began circulating.
The first, authored by an aid to General Horatio Gates,
encouraged officers to gather and to discuss their grievances, and
even proposed defying Congress and refusing to disband if their
(04:08):
demands were not met. This letter was followed by a
second designed to further inflame passions, intimating open military rebellion
if Congress failed to act on the verge of a
mass mutiny. Washington, who had led his army, through many battles,
stepped into the breach. Aware of the anonymous letters, he
(04:31):
issued a general order the very next day, disrupting the
conspirator's planned gathering. He also cleverly implied that he may
not even be present at that meeting, and it would
be led by the senior officer in attendance. What followed
was one of the great examples of leadership and stagecraft
(04:52):
in American military history. Washington was keenly aware that addressing
the officers directly and condemning them could run the risk
of losing their support, but he also understood that ignoring
the map would be even worse. When the day arrived,
(05:16):
there was no sign of Washington. Starting the meeting was
General Gates, who began by riling up his audience, But
soon after the door swung open and General Washington entered
the room, much to the shock of Gates and the
officers present. Gates did the only thing he could do.
(05:39):
He relinquished the floor to Washington. Rather than choose to
use the force of his command or implicit threats, Washington
chose the path of moral persuasion. His preparation was meticulous,
(06:03):
as he sought to address the officer's grievances and the
broader threat to Republican governance posed by ideas contained in
those anonymous letters. He also explained that he was working
on their behalf to make sure Congress would not betray
their commitments to the army. Washington then reminded the officers
that they were men of honor, making it clear this
(06:26):
moment required the same commitment to duty that tested their
resolve and courage on the battlefield.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
He said to them, you will give one more distinguished
proof of unexampled patriotism and patient virtue, rising superior to
the pressure of the most complicated sufferings. And you will,
by the dignity of your conduct, afford occasion for posterity
(06:56):
to say, when speaking of the glorious example U you
have exhibited to mankind, had this day been wanting, the
world had never seen the last stage of perfection to
which human nature is capable of attaining.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
What happened next might very well have been the single
act by Washington that saved our republic. As he began
to read a letter he'd received from a member of
Congress attempting to address their plight, the now older Washington
struggled to read the letter due to his declining eyesight.
(07:36):
His soldiers noticed him struggling, and Washington noticed them. Noticing
masterfully reading the room, Washington, in a rare moment of vulnerability, paused.
He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a
pair of reading glasses. His troops were astonished. None had
(07:56):
ever seen their general showing any sign of weakness or age.
Washington then looked at them.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
And he said, gentlemen, you will permit me to put
on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray
but almost blind in service to my country.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles,
for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind
in service to my country. Historians have debated whether Washington
staged this moment but calculated or not. The impact was
emotionally overwhelming, as his troops were moved to tears. When
(08:46):
Washington left the room, any thought of mutiny ceased, and
for one final time, his troops followed Washington's leave and
his example. This moment represented something far deeper than stopping
a rebellion within the ranks. Washington established that elected civilian
authority of the military must at all times be maintained
(09:10):
and cherished, and that any attempt to undermine it was
a betrayal of the revolution itself. The meeting concluded with
his officers committing to support the Congress and rejecting any
calls for a rebellion or open defiance. The Treaty of
(09:30):
Paris was signed in September of seventeen eighty three, officially
ending the Revolutionary War, and thanks to Washington's continued advocacy,
his officer's grievances were addressed by Congress, although imperfectly, when
they approved half pay pensions for life. As a new
year approached on a day that should be remembered second
(09:53):
only to our Independence Day, Washington fulfilled his destiny not
as a American Cromwell, but as the American Cincinnatus on
December twenty third, seventeen eighty three. He defied nearly every
historic precedent, and he resigned his commission, voluntarily relinquishing his
(10:18):
sword to the Continental Congress, asking for nothing in return.
Washington was a civilian once again, and he returned to
his home at Mount Verney.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
The story of George Washington and how he averted a
coup and refused to become king here on our American stories,
Host
Lee Habeeb
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