Hereditary America?

Something I've been curious about. I know that, in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution, most of Europe was convinced that America's ideal of a lasting, representative democracy couldn't possibly last, and that, within a few decades, it would become a de facto, if not de jure, monarchy, or at least some sort of dictatorship.

How likely is this, though? Can we see somebody like John Adams or Aaron Burr completely seize the reigns of power and institute a republican dictatorship, or worse, a monarchy? Or is this completely ASB?
 
Have the Society of Cincinnatus stick around (membership was hereditary), have more chaos and misfortune, so the public is more willing to accept something like this in exchange for order, have some legal rulings that accepted the abolition of entailed land tenure go the othe way--but given the frontier the influence of the hereditary principle is going to be minor at best, and I see no realistic wasy of closing the frontier. In fact, I don't see any way that you can successfully incorporate a hereditary principle into American life without limiting it to minor effects.

So to successfully keep entail, the entailed estates can't be massive enough to give their owners a dominant economic position--instead, they just serve to keep a corporate family identity going and perhaps to provide enough to keep up a social position. Same with hereditary 'titles'. They won't be aristocratic (they'll be like the Cincinnatti thing, recognitions of distinguished servce), any privileges they bring with them will be minor, but they will confer some kind of social cachet and a historical sense that Americans traditionally lack.

The real problem is that with the possible exception of the Adams', the sons of grandsons of America's statesmen and great men have been a singularly unprepossessing lot. Even a minor attempt at a hereditary element in American life will fail, because these bumbling fellows will make it look farcical.

What would be interesting is an 'adoptive' hereditary element in American life. What if there were an expectation that statesmen would select some protege or up and comer and designate them as their political heir to carry on their legacy? Especially interesting if there were genuine customary or political privileges that came with being the 'heir.' Perhaps something like this could get started with Washington and Hamilton?
 
Something I've been curious about. I know that, in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution, most of Europe was convinced that America's ideal of a lasting, representative democracy couldn't possibly last, and that, within a few decades, it would become a de facto, if not de jure, monarchy, or at least some sort of dictatorship.

How likely is this, though? Can we see somebody like John Adams or Aaron Burr completely seize the reigns of power and institute a republican dictatorship, or worse, a monarchy? Or is this completely ASB?

Your best bet is to have Washington die rather quickly after the revolution. IIRC he was sick with anthrax poisoning several times. So if you don't have him as the uniting figure head something else will come about. As for a modern day monarchy the size of the US? No I don't think so. With your POD the north and south will go their own ways. Both sort of hobbling along as separate powers and hemmed in by British/French/Spanish interests (depending upon European events). As for some sort of American Monarchy Empire unless that is the intention setting out at Philadelphia in '88 then I don't see it happening. As for after the establishment of the republic anyone who tries will face a rebellion from the other half of the republic.

Your two candidates are not very good. John Adams, while he harbored absolutist sentiments, he certainly didn't want that power and would not have tried to seize it. As for Aaron Burr, I don't think so either. He was certainly power hungry and ambitious but almost universally distrusted. As for who could be your imagined monarch? I am not sure. The only person with that kind of weight was Washington and he seemed to have no interest in being King. So on that one I am open to ideas.
 
Maybe Washington suffers a blow to the head that changes up his brain chemistry and convinces him he wants to be King?

ASB as it is, would the American people hand a crown to Washington if he asked them for it?
 
Maybe Washington suffers a blow to the head that changes up his brain chemistry and convinces him he wants to be King?

ASB as it is, would the American people hand a crown to Washington if he asked them for it?

I don't know much about the subject, but IIRC he was offered to be a 'dictator' but he immediately declined. If we have a different George Washington somehow...
 
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