Why the 1994 National Archives Opinion on Virginia’s Ratification of the Titles of Nobility Amendment Was Wrong

Lateefah Simon

Introduction In 1994, Acting General Counsel Christopher M. Runkel of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) issued a five-page opinion addressing whether the Acting Archivist could certify that the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA) became part of the U.S. Constitution in 1819. The opinion concluded that NARA lacked both the evidence and the authority … Read more

What “Large Majority” Meant in 1814

What “Large Majority” Meant in 1814 In the early 19th century, the phrase “large majority” was widely used in legislative journals, political correspondence, and newspapers to describe the outcome of a vote. While the term remains in use today, its meaning in 1814 reflected the political and linguistic conventions of that period — not a … Read more

Forgery and Recomposition: The Denison Signature and the 1813 Connecticut Committee Report on the Titles of Nobility Amendment

Trumpie Bad

By Stanley Ivan Evans Abstract Recent forensic comparison of Connecticut’s 1813 legislative documents concerning the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA) reveals material and handwriting anomalies suggesting that the official committee report held today was rewritten on new paper, with the authentic signature of House Clerk William Denison replicated by another hand. This finding bears directly … Read more

Did Connecticut Ratify the Titles of Nobility Amendment?

I'll be damned

A documentary and forensic case study (1813–1818) Thesis The best reading of the federal record is that Connecticut was counted as having ratified the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA) in 1813, and that a later executive-side annotation in early 1818—the lone word “Not,” added to an existing endorsement—reversed the appearance of that status in State … Read more

  Did Connecticut Ratify the Titles of Nobility Amendment? A documentary and forensic case study (1813–1818) Thesis The best reading of the federal record is that Connecticut was counted as having ratified the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA) in 1813, and that a later executive-side annotation in early 1818—the lone word “Not,” added to an … Read more

The Article V Denominator: No Law Then, No Law Now

Newer States on Titles of Nobility Amendment

Thesis From 1810–1819—and still today—no statute, constitutional clause, or Supreme Court holding defines whether “three-fourths of the several States” in Article V refers to (i) the number of States when Congress proposed an amendment, (ii) the number of States when ratification was completed, or (iii) some hybrid (e.g., freezing the denominator unless later-admitted States “definitively … Read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Virginia Adopted TONA

Virginia Flag

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Researcher Releases Virginia Evidence Packet Showing State-Level Adoption of the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA) Virginia’s official volumes state “Amendments to Constitution adopted”; State Department copy marked “C.1.” (Chapter One) confirms publication to federal authorities; Supreme Court precedent supports validity of the state’s assent Oakland, CA — October 13 2025— Researcher Stanley … Read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Researcher Releases Evidence Packet Indicating Alterations in 1813 Connecticut Committee Report on Federal Amendment Side-by-side images, signature comparisons, and a contemporaneous federal circular call for an official authentication review Oakland, CA— October 13 2025 — Researcher Stanley Ivan Evans today released an evidence packet suggesting that a key 1813 Connecticut General Assembly committee … Read more

New Video Release: The Truth About the Adoption of the Titles of Nobility Amendment

Stanley Ivan Evans

Researcher and author Stanley I. Evans, creator of Hocus Pocus: The Art of Deception, has released a new video uncovering the real story behind the adoption of the Titles of Nobility Amendment (TONA)—the long-suppressed 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Drawing on archival documents, legislative records, and official correspondence from 1810–1818, Evans explains how the … Read more

Virginia’s 1819 Republication and Adoption of the Titles of Nobility Amendment: A Constitutional and Judicial Analysis

Stanley Ivan Evans

By Stanley Ivan Evans I. Introduction The 1819 Revised Code of the Laws of Virginia, printed by Thomas Ritchie under authority of an act of the General Assembly passed March 12, 1819, stands as a decisive legal act in the constitutional history of the United States. Within this publication appears the Constitution of the United … Read more

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