Staff Writer, DL Mullan
Constitution / Bill of Rights___________________________________
What? There's another 13th Amendment? So the 13th is actually the 14th Amendment? Hold the phone.
Amendment XIII
Passed by Congress May 1, 1810 - Ratified December 9, 1812.
"If any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive, or retain any title of nobility or honour, or shall without the consent of Congress, accept and retain any present, pension, office, or emolument of any kind whatever, from any emperor, king, prince, or foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen of the united States, and shall be incapable of holding any office of trust or profit under them, or either of them."
Here's a table that outlines the Ratification process for this amendment.
| 1 | Maryland | December 25, 1810 | Ratified |
| 2 | Kentucky | January 31, 1811 | Ratified |
| 3 | Ohio | January 31, 1811 | Ratified |
| 4 | Delaware | February 2, 1811 | Ratified |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | February 6, 1811 | Ratified |
| 6 | New Jersey | February 13,1811 | Ratified |
| 7 | Vermont | October 24, 1811 | Ratified |
| 8 | Tennessee | November 21, 1811 | Ratified |
| 9 | Georgia | November 22, 1811 | Ratified |
| 10 | North Carolina | December 23, 1811 | Ratified |
| 11 | Virginia | February 7, 1812 | Ratified (Date when Publication of Virginia Laws was approved) |
| 12 | Massachusetts | February 27, 1812 | Ratified |
| 13 | New York | March 12, 1812 | Did not Ratify |
| 14 | New Hampshire | December 9, 1812 | Ratified |
| 15 | Connecticut | May 13, 1814 | Did not Ratify |
| 16 | Rhode Island | September 15, 1814 | Did not Ratify |
| 17 | South Carolina | December 21, 1814 | Tabled the Motion without any action |
So why isn't this amendment reflected in our national documents?
There are some excuses and explanations as to why this amendment disappeared after forty years of use. Is there a conspiracy? At this point, who really knows?
The amendment did such:
This Amendment was for the specific purpose of banning participation in government operations by attorneys and bankers who claimed the Title of Nobility of ‘Esquire.’ These people had joined the International Bar Association or the International Bankers Association and owed their allegiance to the King of England.
So make up your own mind. Should Congress reinstate the original Thirteen Amendment? Or should it be cataloged for future reference?
Source: NewsWeek, Constitutional Concepts Foundation,
