At the end of the war of independence, much of the Continental Army had been with Washington for nearly eight years and had seen him struggle to support them when Congress was either indifferent or incapable of doing so. If the country had remained unstable, perhaps the general could have stepped in and provided a degree of stability, becoming the protector of the republic. The Protectorate period would proceed, with Washington nominating his successor, each new Protector becoming slightly more powerful until one of them is able to name his son or nephew as his successor, at which point the American monarchy is effectively born even if the United States remains a ‘republic’.