The Missing 13th Amendment

The Commentator ^ | 24DEC08 | Unknown

[Daddynoz]

TITLES OF NOBILITY” AND “HONOR”

In the winter of 1983, archival research expert David Dodge, and former Baltimore police investigator Tom Dunn, were searching for evidence of government corruption in public records stored in the Belfast Library on the coast of Maine. By chance, they discovered the library’s oldest authentic copy of the Constitution of the United States (printed in 1825). Both men were stunned to see this document included a 13th Amendment that no longer appears on current copies of the Constitution. Moreover, after studying the Amendment’s language and historical context, they realized the principle intent of this “missing” 13th Amendment was to prohibit lawyers from serving in government.

So began a seven year, nationwide search for the truth surrounding the most bizarre Constitutional puzzle in American history — the unlawful removal of a ratified Amendment from the Constitution of the United States. Since 1983, Dodge and Dunn have uncovered additional copies of the Constitution with the “missing” 13th Amendment printed in at least eighteen separate publications by ten different states and territories over four decades from 1822 to 1860.

In June of this year, Dodge uncovered the evidence that this missing 13th Amendment had indeed been lawfully ratified by the state of Virginia and was therefore an authentic Amendment to the American Constitution. If the evidence is correct and no logical errors have been made, a 13th Amendment restricting lawyers from serving in government was ratified in 1819 and removed from our Constitution during the tumult of the Civil War.

Since the Amendment was never lawfully repealed, it is still the Law today. The implications are enormous.

The story of this “missing” Amendment is complex and at times confusing because the political issues and vocabulary of the American Revolution were different from our own. However, there are essentially two issues: What does the Amendment mean? and, Was the Amendment ratified? Before we consider the issue of ratification, we should first understand the Amendment’s meaning and consequent current relevance.

MEANING of the 13th Amendment

The “missing” 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows:

“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.” [Emphasis added.}

At the first reading, the meaning of this 13th Amendment (also called the “title of nobility” Amendment) seems obscure, unimportant. The references to “nobility”, “honour”, “emperor”, “king”, and “prince” lead us to dismiss this amendment as a petty post-revolution act of spite directed against the British monarchy. But in our modern world of Lady Di and Prince Charles, anti-royalist sentiments seem so archaic and quaint, that the Amendment can be ignored.

Not so.

Consider some evidence of its historical significance: First, “titles of nobility” were prohibited in both Article VI of the Articles of Confederation (1777) and in Article I, Sect. 9 of the Constitution of the United States (1778); Second, although already prohibited by the Constitution, an additional “title of nobility” amendment was proposed in 1789, again in 1810, and according to Dodge, finally ratified in 1819. Clearly, the founding fathers saw such a serious threat in “titles of nobility” and “honors” that anyone receiving them would forfeit their citizenship. Since the government prohibited “titles of nobility” several times over four decades, and went through the amending process (even though “titles of nobility” were already prohibited by the Constitution), it’s obvious that the Amendment carried much more significance for our founding fathers than is readily apparent today.

SIGNIFICANCE OF REMOVAL

To create the present oligarchy (rule by lawyers) which we now endure, the lawyers first had to remove the 13th “titles of nobility” Amendment that might otherwise have kept them in check. In fact, it was not until after the Civil War and after the disappearance of this 13th Amendment, that American bar associations began to appear and exercise political power.

Since the unlawful deletion of the 13th Amendment, the newly developing bar associations began working diligently to create a system wherein lawyers took on a title of privilege and nobility as “Esquires” and received the “honor” of offices and positions (like district attorney or judge) that only lawyers may now hold. By virtue of these titles, honors, and special privileges, lawyers have assumed political and economic advantages over the majority of U.S. citizens. Through these privileges, they have nearly established a two-tiered citizenship in this nation where a majority may vote, but only a minority (lawyers) may run for political office. This twotiered citizenship is clearly contrary to Americans’ political interests, the nation’s economic welfare, and the Constitution’s egalitarian spirit.

The significance of this missing 13th Amendment and its deletion from the Constitution is this: Since the amendment was never lawfully nullified, it is still in full force and effect and is the Law of the land. If public support could be awakened, this missing Amendment might provide a legal basis to challenge many existing laws and court decisions previously made by lawyers who were unconstitutionally elected or appointed to their positions of power; it might even mean the removal of lawyers from our current government system.

[longtermmemmory]

enough with this tinfoil nonsense:

here is the constitution:

here is the link:

http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/constitution/

U.S. Constitution
Articles
Amendments

Annotations
Preamble
Article I - Legislative Department
Article II - Executive Department
Article III - Judicial Department
Article IV - States’ Relations
Article V - Mode of Amendment
Article VI - Prior Debts, National Supremacy and Oaths of Office
Article VII - Ratification

Amendments
First Amendment - Religion and Expression
Second Amendment - Bearing Arms
Third Amendment - Quartering Soldiers
Fourth Amendment - Search and Seizure
Fifth Amendment - Rights of Persons
Sixth Amendment - Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions
Seventh Amendment - Civil Trials
Eighth Amendment - Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases
Ninth Amendment - Unenumerated Rights
Tenth Amendment - Reserved Powers
Eleventh Amendment - Suits Against States
Twelfth Amendment - Election of President
Thirteenth Amendment - Slavery and Involuntary Servitude
Fourteenth Amendment - Rights Guaranteed, Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection
Fifteenth Amendment - Rights of Citizens to Vote
Sixteenth Amendment - Income Tax
Seventeenth Amendment - Popular Election of Senators
Eighteenth Amendment - Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors
Nineteenth Amendment - Woman’s Suffrage Rights
Twentieth Amendment - Commencement of the Terms of the President, Vice President and Members of Congress.
Twenty-First Amendment - Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment
Twenty-Second Amendment - Presidential Tenure
Twenty-Third Amendment - Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia
Twenty-Fourth Amendment - Abolition of the Poll Tax Qualification in Federal Elections
Twenty-Fifth Amendment - Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability
Twenty-Sixth Amendment - Reduction of Voting Age Qualification
Twenty-Seventh Amendment - Congressional Pay Limitation

[Dan Middleton]

"Dodge uncovered the evidence that this missing 13th Amendment had indeed been lawfully ratified by the state of Virginia and was therefore an authentic Amendment to the American Constitution."

Yeah, I stopped reading right there. Clearly not knowing how the amendment process works destroys all credibility.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

It's BS. There MAY have been a proposed amendment, that escaped widespread reporting in history books.

IF there was such a proposed amendment, but never ratified, it COULD still be enacted, if there was no ratification deadline set. After all, our latest amendment (27th) was initially proposed in the earliest days of the republic, but not fully ratified until 1992!

This one sounds like a VERY GOOD idea!

[mondonico]

“IMHO this reads that one’s citizenship is voided if the title of nobility or honor is received from a foreign entity, king, emperor, etc. I don’t see that it applies to titles of honor received by an organization in the U.S.”

That’s how I read it too. The only thing this would affect is the knighthoods our retired public officials occasionally receive (Caspar Weinberger, RR, IIRC)

[Condor51]

This 13th Amendment thing isn't new. It pops up every couple years with the same convoluted "No Lawyer" argument.

And taking this 'No Lawyer, Title of Nobility' Amendment to its *logical* conclusion would also mean that no person who graduated college 'With Honors' (Latin Honors: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude), could serve in office.

Searching for Bigfoot will yield better results than trying to push this "No Lawyer" nonsense. At least Bigfoot is real.

[djf]

Are you kiddin?

If Joe the garbageman wrote the laws, you might be able to understand them.

Can’t have that now, can we?

[longtermmemmory]

this is a tinfoil article

Article I section 9

“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State. “

I think this article post may be a hoax.

[antiRepublicrat]

Even if correct, it’s a BS interpretation. Lawyers would not be affected. Usage of Esquire here is purely tradition, and in England denoted social status, not knighthood or peerage. In England a person didn’t need any grant of royalty to be called esquire, although the elevated status could informally come from a royal honor that didn’t itself come with a title.

[Procyon]

A proposed amendment must be ratified by 3/4s of the States before it becomes effective. Virginia may have ratified it. But which other State legislatures have done the same? Anybody can print a copy of the constitution with any number of nice amendments (like Equal Rights or Child Labor) attached, but that doesn’t make it the law.

[USAF70]

Thirteenth Amendment - Slavery and Involuntary Servitude

April 15th, anyone?

[Jim Noble]

Let me guess - you don’t recognize the flag with the yellow fringe.

Am I right?

[drypowder]

Lawyers, being the lowest form of human life, are so low they have to look up to see down. Do you know how many lawyer jokes there are? NONE, they are all true.

If the Constitution doesn't prohibit lawyers from holding public office, it certainly should. Aside from their ability to convince the dumb ass citizen to believe what they say, especially what they promise in a political campaign, is there an argument as to lawyers greed for material and power being at the CORE of the death of our Constitution's original intent? That statement is based on the fact that MOST politicians that end up in DC are schooled in law.

"Honest politician", now that's a joke.

[xcamel]

Maybe an “original” 13th that was replace by the abolishment of slavery?

[Vermont Lt]

I know things were a little backward in the early 1800’s, but I think if there were a ratified amendment to the constitution, someone would made a note of it. Even it were scratched in wood somewhere.

[Americanexpat]

A good police and background check would do the same for most.

To be in the military you have to have no criminal record or associations with groups that want to over throw the government and take an oath to protect the country from same. yet to be a congressman, senator or president you can be a criminal, traitor to your country and be associated with groups that mean to destroy this country.

[Nephi]

This is an old article, but here is a link to a newer article with images that turned up when I googled, "Colorado Territory federal register."

I know its the Kos, but they have several images that make this story more difficult to dismiss.

[chris_bdba]

If it could be prioven to be authentic then perhaps whoever hand copied the document may have left 13 out and instead of redoing it eliminated it completely so they would not have to redo the documents. IMHO it was needed and would’ve saved us from some of the worst leaders we’ve had.

[SpaceBar]

That link is an excellent find.

[Kolokotronis]

“When the Queen of England conferred upon me the title of Esquire at my law school graduation I was promised no one would ever find the suppressed 13th Amendment.”

I got mine from the King of Greece...but when he was voted off his throne, my noble title went with him so I’m safe!

Why do you suppose, SL, that FR attracts articles like this one? Seems there’s been a veritable plethora of them lately! :)

[dsc]

“Why do you suppose, SL, that FR attracts articles like this one? Seems there’s been a veritable plethora of them lately! :)”

I think it’s part of an attempt to make FR look like a bunch of whackos.