The establishment of a
republic was in and of itself a revolutionary act. In 1787 power in the West was divided between
hereditary monarchs who soaked their colonies for wealth and resources. Moreover a class of so-called nobles lived
lives of privilege, largely because of emoluments from royal appointments to
public offices. In stark contrast, the
framers sought to built a society in which merit rather than title determined
one’s life chances. The U.S. Constitution,
Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 states: “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” (U.S. Constitution). The prohibition against titles of nobility
underscores the framer’s commitment to republicanism and sets a foundation for
meritocracy. There would be no individuals
stamped with the divine right to rule—no kings, queens, prince, princesses, lords,
dukes, or duchesses. At least on paper,
everyone was equal and the phrase “his majesty” would be stricken from the
American lexicon. By establishing a
republic, the framers made a clean break from the political institutions and
values of their European forebears.
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