[Mr Rogers]

“Not true. I’ve read accounts of other contemporary translations of French to English in which the exact same usage of words was employed.”

Wrong. None existed. And there was no reason to translate “naturels” and “indigenes” anyways - both have exact English equivalents, just with slightly changed spelling. NO TRANSLATION of Vattel used NBC until AFTER the Constitution was ratified! NONE!

[DiogenesLamp]

I do not feel compelled to bother looking up any information to refute you. Your point is not significant even were it true, which my recollection of past readings tells me it is not.

[one guy in new jersey]

“Naturels” (French) was translated as “Natural Born” in 1781 by the Secretary of our Continental Congress.

How big a leap would one need to make to accord to the same term used by Vattel in his Section 212 (admittedly prior to a published English Language edition being available) the meaning of “Natural Born Citizen”?

John Adams used the specific term “Natural Born Citizen” in 1783, in a draft treaty provision, and again in 1785 in a letter to Jefferson in a similar context. Must we be married to British Blackstone’s cobbled-together definition of the judge-controlled common law term “Natural Born Subject” when construing a distinct term of positive law as set forth in the U.S. Constitution in the New World, given to us by the equivalent of elected representatives (not judges)?

_________

From:

https://cdrkerchner.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/absolute-proof-the-founders-knew-and-accepted-vattels-french-naturels-to-mean-natural-born-before-constitution-was-written/

The below French and its translation to English was found in the Library of Congress Website. If you look at [page 794] Article III in the body of the 1781 source text below, you will see in French,

“Les consuls et vice consuls respectifs ne pourront être pris que parmi les sujets naturels de la puissance qui les nommera. Tous seront appointés par leur souverain respectif, et ils ne pourront en conséquence faire aucun trafic ou commerce quelconque ni pour leur propre compte, ni pour le compte d’autrui.”

Going down further to the end you will find the translation to English [by the Secretary of the Continental Congress]. See [page 804, Article XVIII ,] paragraph number 3 in the 1781 English translation,

The respective Consuls and Vice Consuls shall only be taken from among the natural born subjects of the power nominating them. They shall all be appointed by their respective Sovereign, and in Consequence of such appointment they shall not exercise any traffic or commerce whatsoever either on their own account, or on account of any other

Translation by Charles Thomson secretary of the Continental Congress