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To: Mr Rogers
The full passage states that one becomes a citizen at birth.
You ignoramus! He was only talking about a select group of people!
The citizens of each state constituted the citizens of the United States when the Constitution was adopted. The rights which appertained to them as citizens of those respective commonwealths, accompanied them in the formation of the great, compound commonwealth which ensued. They became citizens of the latter, without ceasing to be citizens of the former, and he who was subsequently born a citizen of a state, became at the moment of his birth a citizen of the United States. Therefore every person born within the United States, its territories or districts, whether the parents are citizens or aliens, is a natural born citizen in the sense of the Constitution, and entitled to all the rights and privileges appertaining to that capacity.
Rawles was talking about those who were alive or were born then, when the Constitution was adopted, not those who would be born a generation or more later.

So what is your point?
That you don't know what Rawle was writing about.

119 posted on 08/08/2010 7:01:06 PM PDT by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
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To: philman_36; Brown Deer
You are wrong again, which is why I said that if birthers could read, they wouldn't be birthers. From your own quote:

"The citizens of each state constituted the citizens of the United States when the Constitution was adopted. The rights which appertained to them as citizens of those respective commonwealths, accompanied them in the formation of the great, compound commonwealth which ensued. They became citizens of the latter, without ceasing to be citizens of the former, and he who was subsequently born a citizen of a state, became at the moment of his birth a citizen of the United States. Therefore every person born within the United States, its territories or districts, whether the parents are citizens or aliens, is a natural born citizen in the sense of the Constitution, and entitled to all the rights and privileges appertaining to that capacity."

At first he is talking about those alive when the Constitution was adopted, but he then says "he who was subsequently born a citizen of a state" - changing to those born AFTER the Constitution.

He then says, "Therefore every person born within the United States, its territories or districts, whether the parents are citizens or aliens, is a natural born citizen in the sense of the Constitution..." - note the present tense. Had he been referring to those born prior to the Constitution, he would have needed to say, "every person who was born..." Also, the Framers specifically understood that not all those who were citizens at the adoption of the Constitution were native born, so they added a clause for length of stay for themselves. Thus it would be incorrect to say "every person born" and apply it to those alive at the time the Constitution was adopted.

126 posted on 08/08/2010 7:24:56 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (When the ass brays, don't reply...)
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