In 1795, the United States Naturalization Act provided that “the children of citizens of the United States, born out of the limits and jurisdiction of the United States, shall be considered as citizens of the United States; provided that the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States ...
I haven’t had time to go and dig out the laws that are applicable for you this evening, but I do know this: The year after McCain was born, the Congress passed a law naturalizing folks who had been born in the Canal Zone since 1904. I’ll try and address this more later, as time permits.