Tadeusz Kościuszko Says "No Kings!"

The Journals of the Continental Congress give us this funny little item on 18 October, 1776:

The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,

Resolved, That Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Esq., be appointed an engineer in the service of the United States, with the pay of sixty dollars a month, and the rank of colonel.

A quick hit from Wikipedia:

On learning of the American Revolution, Kościuszko, a man of revolutionary aspirations, sympathetic to the American cause and an advocate of human rights¹, sailed for the Americas in June 1776 along with other foreign officers, likely with the help of a French supporter of the American revolutionaries, Pierre Beaumarchais. After finally arriving in Philadelphia (after a Caribbean shipwreck) he sought out Benjamin Franklin at his print shop; offering to take engineering subject exams (in lieu of any letters of recommendation), he received a high mark on a geometry exam and Franklin's recommendation.

Naturally, the dude has a couple bridges named for him in New York: Kosciuszko Bridge over Newtown Creek in NYC, and Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge crossing the Mohawk River upstate.  There also happens to be some No Kings events nearby...

Weehawken (Alexander Hamilton might object) and Morningside Heights-Manhattanville are within 10 miles of the former (follow 278 from the 'k' in York).

The latter (follow 87 north from Albany) is almost smack dab in between Clifton Park and Troy.

And while we're on the subject of No Kings, consider the very first debate in the United States Senate, as recorded by William Maclay on 8 May, 1789:

The report [of the Committee on Titles] was, however, rejected. "Excellency" was moved for as a title by Mr. Izard. It was withdrawn by Mr. Izard, and "highness" with some prefatory word, proposed by Mr. Lee. Now long harangues were made in favor of this title. "Elective " was placed before. It was insisted that such a dignified title would add greatly to the weight and authority of the Government both at home and abroad. 

I declared myself totally of a different opinion; that at present it was impossible to add to the respect entertained for General Washington; that if you gave him the title of any foreign prince or potentate, a belief would follow that the manners of that prince and his modes of government would be adopted by the President. (Mr. Lee had, just before I got up, read over a list of the titles of all the princes and potentates of the earth, marking where the word "highness" occurred. The Grand Turk had it, all the princes of Germany had [it], sons and daughters of crown heads, etc.) 

That particularly "elective highness," which sounded nearly like "electoral highness," would have a most ungrateful sound to many thousands of industrious citizens who had fled from German oppression; that "highness" was part of the title of a prince or princes of the blood, and was often given to dukes; that it,,was degrading our President to place him on a par with any prince of any blood in Europe, nor was there one of them that could enter the list of true glory with him.

The following day:

I rose. Mr. President, the Constitution of the United States has designated our Chief Magistrate by the appellation of the President of the United States of America. This is his title of office, nor can we alter, add to, or diminish it without infringing the Constitution. In like manner persons authorized to transact business with foreign powers are styled Ambassadors, Public Ministers, etc. To give them any other appellation would be an equal infringement. As to grades of orders or titles of nobility, nothing of the kind can be established by Congress.

Can, then, the President and Senate do that which is prohibited to the United States at large? Certainly not. Let us read the Constitution: No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States. The Constitution goes further. The servants of the public are prohibited from accepting them from any foreign state, king, or prince. So that the appellations and terms given to nobility in the Old World are contraband language in the United States, nor can we apply them to our citizens consistent with the Constitution. As to what the common people, soldiers, and sailors of foreign countries may think of us, I do not think it imports us much. Perhaps the less they think, or have occasion to think of us, the better.

So...not Excellency, not President of Europe.  Mr. President and nothing more.  Let us remind the orange rapist/felon/fascist and his enablers of that fact.

Selah.

1 - In his will, he bequeathed his American estate (500 acres and backpay from the Revolution) to freeing slaves, with Thomas Jefferson as his executor.  Mr All Men Are Created Equal...failed to carry out his friend's wishes.