One striking example is the "ceremonial" activity that, in the US, the Vice President counts the electors votes to certify the election for the next President. This was interrupted in 2021 by ne'er-do-wells who thought they would overthrow a legitimate election, having been fed a lot of baloney from a lot of sources.
In both the example above and this example, what was taken as "ceremonial" (especially since the advent of much, much better forms of communication than what was available the 1790s) was still the the lawful course. Our systems of government are held together by the belief in and affinity to perform duty according to precedent.
The former Prime Minister of Australia had the Governor General (a largely ceremonial role) secretly swear him in to multiple ministries without the knowledge of the incumbent minister, the parliament or the public. The Governor General didn’t publicise these appointments. The PM then used his new ministerial powers a couple of times.
The convention expected was the GG would announce these appointments, he didn’t and put out a statement when it was found out that literally said “oh yeah not my job sorry you thought it was”
In both the example above and this example, what was taken as "ceremonial" (especially since the advent of much, much better forms of communication than what was available the 1790s) was still the the lawful course. Our systems of government are held together by the belief in and affinity to perform duty according to precedent.