[El Gato]

ep, you have to be born a citizen of the US. That was the intent. And Obama was born a citizen of the US. Hamilton does NOT add “born of two citizen parents”.

But Hamiliton's language was not adopted, Jay's was, at least as far as the "natural born citizen" requirement.

The term was well known to the founders, it had to be, else there would have been debate about it's incorporation. There was no debate.

[The Pack Knight]

If it was well known to the founders, then what was its definition at the time?

Was it Vattel’s? That seems unlikely given the fact, as Mr Rogers pointed out, that no English translation of Vattel’s work extant at the time the Constitution was drafted contained the phrase “natural born citizen.”

Or was it Blackstone’s? Blackstone’s work, as it existed at the time the Constitution was drafted and ratified, did define the term “natural born subject.” Blackstone was, of course, well-read by and extensively cited by the Founders. John Jay himself was one of the original subscribers.

[Mr Rogers]

“The term was well known to the founders, it had to be, else there would have been debate about it’s incorporation. There was no debate.”

Yet it was NOT known from Vattel, since no translation used it at the time, nor is it a very accurate translation of the French.

That leaves common law...