WXRGina, many thanks for that link!
Here’s an excerpt that should prove interesting:
“Remember! None of our early Presidents were “natural born Citizens”, even though they were all born here. They were all born as subjects of the British Crown. They became naturalized citizens with the Declaration of Independence. That is why it was necessary to provide a grandfather clause for them. But after our Founding Generation was gone, their successors were required to be born as citizens of the United States –not merely born here (as were our Founders), but born as citizens.
And do not forget that the children born here of slaves did not become “citizens” by virtue of being born here. Their parents were slaves; hence (succeeding to the condition of their parents) they were born as slaves. Black people born here did not become citizens until 1868 and the ratification of the 14 Amendment.
So! Do you see? If Our Framers understood that merely being born here were sufficient to confer status as a “natural born citizen”; it would not have been necessary to grandfather in our first generation of Presidents; and all the slaves born here would have been “natural born citizens”. But they were born as non-citizen slaves, because their parents were non-citizen slaves.”
Sums it up quite neatly.
Ping to #322
You’re welcome, WildHighlander. I really appreciate Ms. Publius Huldah. Her video speeches are excellent, too.
At the Declaration of Independence, there was a distinction made between free inhabitants and citizens of the states. Loyalist refused to become citizens of the state of their inhabitation and refused to state an oath of allegiance to the state of their inhabitation. Consequently, some inhabitants did not become citizens of the state.
At the time of the U.S. Constitution, citizens of the united States became citizens of the United States. Noncitizens continued to be inhabitants. The children of inhabitants did not become citizens of the United States because they followed the citizenship of their father, or their mother if the father was dead.
At the founding of the country, the offspring of citizens at the time of the Declaration of Independence became natural born citizens of the U.S. because they followed the citizenship of their father. Natural born citizens were not required to state an oath of allegiance.