“And the children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond Sea, or out of the limits of the United States...”
In the operative sentence, citizens is plural, not singular, meaning both parents must be US citizens.
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In the operative sentence, children is plural, not singular, meaning a birth must consist of more than one child for the CHILDREN of that birth to be US citizens.
See, I can be as stupid as you (if I pretend to be stupid — perhaps you’re not pretending?).
Excellent point. Often in statutory language, the plural shows up simply because a class of objects or individuals is being discussed, not because any specific relationship exists within some pair of individuals within that set.
Peace,
SR