Where did the founders get the word “citizen” came from? Why was that chosen? There had to be a meaning behind it.
Citizen: “a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection ( distinguished from alien).”
Dates back to around 1300.
Natural born is a phrase from English common law. It used subject, but America had no king - so a different word than subject was needed.
“It is an established maxim, received by all political writers, that every person owes a natural allegiance to the government of that country in which he is born. Allegiance is defined to be a tie, that binds the subject to the state, and in consequence of his obedience, he is entitled to protection… The children of aliens, born in this state, are considered as natural born subjects, and have the same rights with the rest of the citizens.” - Zephaniah Swift, A system of the laws of the state of Connecticut (1795)