After the 1781 victory at Yorktown, some Americans thought General George Washington should become the new nation’s first king, but he rejected royal power. Congress met in the Maryland State House from late 1783 to the summer of 1784, making Annapolis the national capital for a few months. On December 23, 1783, after several days of gala events in his honor, Washington addressed Congress, read a short retirement speech with visible emotion, and handed his officer’s commission to the president of Congress before leaving Annapolis to return home for Christmas. By stepping down as commander in chief at the end of the Revolutionary War, he affirmed that American military power is subordinate to civil government, helping ensure that the United States would be a democratic republic rather than a monarchy.
