A few examples:
The new spelling dictionary
Author: John Entick
Published: 1780
Original from: University of Lausanne [Printed in London]
Digitized: Feb 27, 2008
From: http://books.google.com/books?id=xZUPAAAAQAAJ
A dictionary of the English language. Abstracted from the folio ed., by the author. To which is prefixed, an English grammar. To this ed. are added, a history of the English language
Author: Samuel Johnson
Edition: 3
Published: 1768
Original from: Oxford University [Printed in Dublin]
Digitized: Aug 10, 2006
From: http://books.google.com/books?id=bXsCAAAAQAAJ
Knowing that "native" and "indigenous" and "natural" are synonymous in the times preceding the Constitutional Convention...have another look a Vattel's "Law of Nations":
Original French version of Vattel's Law of Nations:
Emer de Vattel, Le droit des gens, ou Principes de la loi naturelle, vol. 1 (of 2) [1758]
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From Chapter XIX, 212 (page 197 of 592) [Note: A ~22 MB PDF]: Section title in French: "Des citoyens et naturels" To English: "Citizens and natural" Clearly there is a differentiation made between "Citizens" and "Natural" (born citizens). See below. French text (about citizens): "Les citoyens sont les membres de la societe civile : lies a cette societe par certains devoirs et soumis a son autorite, ils participent avec egalite a ses avantages." |
The first English translations of Vattel's work translated "naturels" to native. As we can see by the dictionaries of the time, "native" is synonymous with "natural." Later English editions of Vattel's work translated "naturels" to "natural." The point being, the words were interchangeable in this context, during and around 1787 when the Constitution was penned.
The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common-law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners. Some authorities go further and include as citizens children born within the jurisdiction without reference to the citizenship of their [p168] parents. As to this class there have been doubts, but never as to the first.
During the time of the framers, "native" and "natural" (& "indigenous") meant the same thing.