I disagree. I think it is not self-evident what this provision of the Constitution means. I am no more impressed with a consensus of lawyers than I am with a consensus of scientists. My sense is that natural born means born to citizen parents in the United States. I think that all other bases for citizenship are creatures of Congress and in my mind that means they are not natural born. Disagree if you will but to declare me crazy or in bad faith is no different than Michael Mann and the global warmists trying to shut down those who disagree with them.
I don’t disagree with you. The Cruzbots on here will defend little Teddy with their dying breath, but, I don’t think he is a natural born citizen either. To me it means one born on American soil - he was not - and his mother became a Canadian citizen - did she give up her U.S. citizenship? We have no way of knowing that, but, just the same - he was born on Canadian soil.
I agree with you. I began researching it (7 years ago) thinking I could find the answer easily. Didn’t work out that way. :)
The one magical document to hold up to America and it would all be solved - I did not find it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do suspect that such a thing may well exist. Why do I say this? Because the Dems/Repubs have, for 35 years, attempted over a dozen times to go after an amendment to Art. 2 section 1. They fail time after time - it isn’t even close as far as I can tell.
The resolutions are out there for anyone to read if you doubt me. They appeal to the heart strings, as it’s for the children. And those born outside of the US who come here care about the US more than any native born could. Evidence is that they made the arduous journey. And last but not least is the offspring of one US citizen living outside of the country ... HOW can we deny the right of that deserving soul to attain the Presidency of the United States of America?
So, as it stands there is no one SHOWING us the document explaining that the men who gave all so we could have this USA, that those men would have said; “Yes, if you are born in any country other than this US of A, to a parent who has been gone from our boundaries for years, building a whole new life in a foreign country, if you are born within another country who can make legal claims on you - YES!! Then you are indeed the narrowest definition of citizen we could dream up for our Commander in Chief.
But mostly I say that I know one thing for certain, and that is the meaning at the time of the signing, the historical meaning in that little clause, is reserved for a person born on native soil.
Cal me a birther if any will, but I have paid my dues and researched many hundreds of hours, so I am better positioned to have an educated opinion than 99% of all others on this topic. **(Except here at FreeRe where so many others have spent even more time on the topic than I)
Your instinct is sound. The phrase was self-evident to the framers of the Constitution who employed it. See below for an explanation. The really sad part is that so many have such little care for blessings that were bestowed upon us and why and how those blessings came about. The damage wrought by the current usurper would seem to illuminate to all seriously thinking patriots the folly of repeating the example with yet a third in our nation’s history. Sadly though, apparently not.
A citizen from birth is not the same as a natural born citizen. Here is an accurate description.
There are two types of citizenship, naturalized and born citizen. (The definition of born citizen has changed over time, i.e. anchor babies and perhaps soon illegals). There is a subset of born citizen which is a natural born citizen. This is a born citizen that would have no other nation having claims on them, i.e. born to U.S. Citizen parents on U.S. soil. This is exactly why the draft of the Constitution was amended by adding the word natural before the word born. This definition does not change over time which is why it is important to the security of the nation.
Like it or not, that is the historical record and the meaning according to those who crafted the document.
Aside from the founders (who by definition could not be natural born citizens thus the exception for them) there are only two known cases where someone who was not a natural born citizen became president - Chester Arthur and the current occupier.
Those that ignore the facts, and dissemble the plain and simple truth and meaning of the founders, provide the means by which new usurpers may claim the presidency thus hastening the great damage and decay that has already occurred to the Republic.