Titles of Nobility Amendment

The Titles of Nobility Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was approved by the 11th Congress on May 1, 1810, and submitted to the state legislatures for ratification. Its purpose was to strip United States citizenship from any citizen who accepted a title of nobility from a foreign country. Without this amendment, the Constitution just prohibits the United States and its state governments from issuing titles of nobility without covering titles granted by foreign nations.

The proposed amendment reads:

“  |  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.  |  ”

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Twice between 1812 and 1816 the amendment was within two states of being ratified. However, as more states joined the Union, the amendment fell further behind the number of states needed for approval. Congress did not set a time limit for its ratification, and the amendment is still technically pending before the states.