The idea of America being a noble republic has been discussed before on these boards, and has rightly been dismissed as being ASB. But what about a republic with a more aristocratic leadership?
While reading Europe; the Struggle for Supremacy by Brendan Simms, I came across this passage, relating to the American Constitution;
'Americans rejected the alternative solution to their strategic predicament, which was to create a 'service nobility' on Russo-Prussian lines dedicated to the defence of their independence. To be sure, some patriots experimented with the idea of creating such an American aristocracy based on the veterans of the Revolutionary War. The resulting 'Society of the Cincinatti', was a 'society of friends' committed to preserving 'inviolate those exalted rights and liberties of human nature for which thet had fought and bled', to promoting 'union and national honour between the respective states ... of the American empire [sic!]', and extending acts of beneficience ... towards those officers and their families' in need. Despite considerable interest from prominent founding fathers, especially George Washington himself, however, the Cincinatti never got off the ground, largely because it impaled itself on the crucial question of heredity.'
Looking at a list of the early presidents of the society, it reads like an alternative set of American presidents;
George Washington 1783-1799
Alexander Hamilton 1800-1804
Charles C Pinckney 1805-1825
Thomas Pinckney 1825-1828
Admission to the society was restricted to officers who had fought in the Revolutionary War and their direct male descendants.
So what if there had been a more aristocratic constitution; one with universal male suffrage, but limiting those eligible to be President to only those who had served as officers in the war, and their direct descendants?
While reading Europe; the Struggle for Supremacy by Brendan Simms, I came across this passage, relating to the American Constitution;
'Americans rejected the alternative solution to their strategic predicament, which was to create a 'service nobility' on Russo-Prussian lines dedicated to the defence of their independence. To be sure, some patriots experimented with the idea of creating such an American aristocracy based on the veterans of the Revolutionary War. The resulting 'Society of the Cincinatti', was a 'society of friends' committed to preserving 'inviolate those exalted rights and liberties of human nature for which thet had fought and bled', to promoting 'union and national honour between the respective states ... of the American empire [sic!]', and extending acts of beneficience ... towards those officers and their families' in need. Despite considerable interest from prominent founding fathers, especially George Washington himself, however, the Cincinatti never got off the ground, largely because it impaled itself on the crucial question of heredity.'
Looking at a list of the early presidents of the society, it reads like an alternative set of American presidents;
George Washington 1783-1799
Alexander Hamilton 1800-1804
Charles C Pinckney 1805-1825
Thomas Pinckney 1825-1828
Admission to the society was restricted to officers who had fought in the Revolutionary War and their direct male descendants.
So what if there had been a more aristocratic constitution; one with universal male suffrage, but limiting those eligible to be President to only those who had served as officers in the war, and their direct descendants?
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