“I also note that the entry for natural-born suggests comparison with the one for native-born which seems to have nothing to do with who ones parents are.”
I don’t see any connection to who one’s parents are in the natural-born definition. Also, I seem to recall reading a passage in the Wong Kim Ark decision (which maintained that a child born on American soil to alien parents was a citizen) that used native-born and natural-born interchangably.
I guess you must have difficulty with the English Language. The usage example for 1709 states, "The children of all natural-born Subjects born out if Ligeance of her Majesty .. shall be deemed .. to be natural-born Subjects of this Kingdom." And the 1833 example states, "It is not true that every person, born out of dominion of the crown, is therefore an alien; nor is a person born within them necessarily a natural-born subject."
What could possibly be clearer?
ML/NJ
The difference in the Wong Kim Ark case is that his alien parents were legal residents that could not apply for citizenship under the law of the land at the time, every one that uses this argument glosses over the fact that under our laws at the time his parents could not become citizens.
They fell under our jurisdiction because by law because they were actually bared from citizenship, the question before the court was did he get citizenship even though his parents were barred from it.