[patlin]

What part of “Smith was a minor & thus his citizenship was dependent upon the citizenship of his guardian” do you not understand? Also, we're talking apples & oranges as Smith's citizenship depended on the state as the they were under the Confederacy at the time as the Federal government & US Constitution had not even began to form. So, for you to say that soil was the only determining factor is just plain ignorant. As I said, CONTEXT is everything & one can not determine citizenship during the Confederate revolution time the same as one does AFTER the ratification of the Constitution.

[SoJoCo]

What part of “Smith was a minor & thus his citizenship was dependent upon the citizenship of his guardian” do you not understand?

What part of "...place is the most certain criterion; it is what applies in the United States..." are you missing?