Today I'm going to talk a little about the aristocracy…

 

Remember when the people of Russia revolted against the aristocracy?  Every aristocrat the revolutionaries could find was killed.

 

The American revolution was as much against the aristocrats as the monarch.  Any revolution against an aristocracy makes sense to the American spirit since we believe that all people are created equal.

 

The Constitutional ban on an aristocracy is simple and to-the-point:*

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States; 

The Constitution prohibits titles of nobility… Number 39 [6]

 

The prohibition against titles of nobility is copied from the Articles of Confederation and needs no comment.  # 44 [6]

 

   The king of Great Britain is called the fountain of honors.  He not only appoints to all offices, but can create offices.   He can confer titles of nobility and give out an immense number of church honors.  In this area, the President has less power than the British king.  # 69 [9]

 

Prohibiting titles of nobility is important.  This is the cornerstone of republican government.  As long as titles are excluded, there can never be serious danger that the government will be any other than that of the people.  # 84 [6]

 

If we adopt the Constitution… It will exclude all titles of nobility.  # 85 [3]

 

*The United States Constitution: Annotated with The Federalist Papers in Modern English, p. 233

 

 

However, just because we don't use the titles--princess, lord, lady, duke, earl, etc.--doesn't mean that an aristocracy does not exist in the United States.  We now have elected and appointed government officials who act as if they are the aristocracy.

 

The Founding Fathers were not naïve.  They knew that banning titles of nobility would not stop an oligarchy from forming in the United States.  Here is just part of the discussion about Representatives:

The third charge against the House of Representative is that members will come from the upper class of citizens, who have little in common with the mass of the people.  And their ambition will sacrifice the many to the benefit of the few.

 

This objection to the Constitution suggests an oligarchy will develop.  And it strikes at the root of republican government.

 

The first goal of every political constitution is finding men to rule who have the wisdom to understand and the virtue to pursue society's common good.  Next, it needs a way to keep them virtuous while they are in office.

 

Republican governments elect rulers.  Many things help to prevent their degeneracy.  The most effective is limiting their term in office.  Because they have to face reelection, they will feel responsible to the people.  # 57 [1-3]  from: The Federalist Papers: Modern English Edition Two

 

Elections are coming up...

 

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* All Federalist Paper quotes are from The Federalist Papers: Modern English Edition Two, available on my website and Amazon.com for $24.95 http://Mary.Webster.org