‘Citizen at birth’ and ‘Natural Born Citizen’ are two separate and distinct classes of citizenship.
‘Citizen at birth’ is defined by the laws made by Congress and Amendments to the Constitution. Thus, the definition can be changed at any time.
(BTW, the Naturalization Act of 1790 was repealed and the Naturalization Act of 1795 nor any other act since had reference to that special class of citizenship, ‘Natural Born Citizen’. They knew that ‘Natural Born Citizen’ was a term used in the Constitution and that Congress had to go through the amendment process to revise that term. In short, a ‘Natural Born Citizen’ was a person born of parents who were both citizens.)
Common sense and logic provides the meaning of ‘Natural Born Citizen’.
‘Natural Born Citizen’ is defined by the laws of nature and common sense.
When ‘born in the land and of citizen parents (note the plural form) there is no need for a law to claim citizenship; it is automatic as a ‘Natural Born Citizen’. No law, legislation, constitutional amendment or other man-made affectation is needed. No nation can long exist otherwise. Other classes of citizenship may evolve and change through laws, but not the ‘Natural Born Citizen’ class. (A law of nature, such as gravity, can not be changed by man-made laws. (A law that attempts to redefine ‘up as down’ will not prevent you from falling on your a** when you jump into the air; up is still up and down is still down.)
Definition of Natural in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural
Simple Definition of natural
1: existing in nature and not made or caused by people : coming from nature
2: not having any extra substances or chemicals added : not containing anything artificial
3: usual or expected
Full Definition of natural
1: based on an inherent sense of right and wrong
2: being in accordance with or determined by nature
Origin of natural: Middle English, from Anglo-French naturel
Natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.
Since the continuation of a country’s existance is dependant upon the progeny of it’s citizens, it is logical and common sense that all children born on that country’s soil to citizen parents are themselves citizens.
No law is needed, it is logical and common sense to understand that a nation can not otherwise survive if such progeny are automatically or legislatively excluded from citizenship. Thus, they are ‘Natural Born Citizen’s.
Common sense and logic dictates that no law legislated by mankind or Constitutional Amendment or provision defining citizenship can possibly be considered to alter the true meaning of a ‘Natural Born Citizen’.
Laws which dictate requirements of potential citizenship at birth and laws which dictate requirements of naturalization for immigrants, are not natural regardless of the name given to such laws, but instead, simply establish a different class of citizenship. (This is recognized in Article Two, Section One recognizes and mentions two of the classes of citizenship.)
References FYI:
The Difference Between a U.S. Citizen and a ‘Natural Born Citizen’
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-difference-between-a-us-citizen-and-a-natural-born-citizen
The Final Authority On ‘Natural Born Citizen’ (Supreme Court cases defining ‘Natural Born Citizen’ with citations and quotes)
http://www.thepostemail.com/2016/01/13/the-final-authority-on-natural-born-citizen/
Emer de Vattel, who also defined a ‘natural-born citizen’ in his highly acclaimed and influential “The Law of Nations, Or, Principles of the Law of Nature, Applied to the Conduct and Affairs of Nations and Sovereigns,†Section 212 (1758 French) (1759 English) (and referenced in most of the those SCOTUS cases):
BOOK 1, CHAPTER 19 Section 212. Citizens and natives. The citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens.
http://lonang.com/library/reference/vattel-law-of-nations/vatt-119/
A blog to discuss the U.S. Constitution Article II, Section 1, “’Natural Born Citizen’†presidential eligibility clause:
Sample of essays: Article II “’Natural Born Citizen’†Means Unity of Citizenship and Sole Allegiance At Birth
http://puzo1.blogspot.com/2009/04/article-ii-natural-born-citizen-means.html
IMO the founders would not have wanted someone born of one or two british parents to be president, except those grandfathered in who were there prior to the war.
Next time you are in court try using natural law as a defense against a Statutory violation. Oh and enjoy you time in jail or paying the fine.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
A1,S8,C4 To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization (admission of aliens- those with foreign citizenship)
A2,S4 No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; (those at the time of the adoption of the Constitution were all born a citizen of a foreign nation)
14th Amendment All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
Elk v Wilkins (1884) opinion of the US Supreme Court, Justice Gray delivering the opinion of the Court:
The distinction between citizenship by birth and citizenship by naturalization is clearly marked in the provisions of the Constitution, by which
"No person, except a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the office of President," and "The Congress shall have power to establish an uniform rule of naturalization." Constitution, Article II, Section 1; Article I, Section 8. By the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution, slavery was prohibited. The main object of the opening sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment was to settle the question, upon which there had been a difference of opinion throughout the country and in this Court, as to the citizenship of free negroes ( 60 U. S. 73; Strauder v. West Virginia,@ 100 U. S. 303, 100 U. S. 306.)
This section contemplates two sources of citizenship, and two sources only: birth and naturalization. The persons declared to be citizens are "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." The evident meaning of these last words is not merely subject in some respect or degree to the jurisdiction of the United States, but completely subject to their political jurisdiction and owing them direct and immediate allegiance. And the words relate to the time of birth in the one case, as they do to the time of naturalization in the other. Persons not thus subject to the jurisdiction of the United States at the time of birth cannot become so afterwards except by being naturalized
One can not be deemed to have direct and immediate allegiance at birth if they are born in a foreign country as a citizen of that foreign country.