Civil government being the sole object of forming societies, its administration must be conducted by common consent. Every species of government has its specific principles. Ours perhaps are more peculiar than those of any other in the universe. It is a composition of the freest principles of the English constitution, with others derived from natural right and natural reason. To these nothing can be more opposed than the maxims of absolute monarchies. Yet, from such, we are to expect the greatest number of emigrants.
They will bring with them the principles of the governments they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or, if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty.
These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and render it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass. I may appeal to experience, during the present contest, for a verification of these conjectures.
But, if they be not certain in event, are they not possible, are they not probable? Is it not safer to wait with patience 27 years and three months longer, for the attainment of any degree of population desired, or expected? May not our government be more homogeneous, more peaceable, more durable? Suppose 20 millions of republican Americans thrown all of a sudden into France, what would be the condition of that kingdom?
If it would be more turbulent, less happy, less strong, we may believe that the addition of half a million of foreigners to our present numbers would produce a similar effect here. If they come of themselves, they are intitled to all the rights of citizenship: but I doubt the expediency of inviting them by extraordinary encouragements. I mean not that these doubts should be extended to the importation of useful artificers. The policy of that measure depends on very different considerations. Spare no expence in obtaining them. They will after a while go to the plough and the hoe; but, in the mean time, they will teach us something we do not know.
SOURCE
I have for several years considered THIS WEBSITE the most complete discussion on Natural Born Citizenship.
The problem with discussing this subject with 'regular people' is that the language used by the Founders is intimidating and confusing to 'public school graduates' who graduated in the 1970s and later, and the wordings of Court decisions on the topic after about 1840 INTENTIONALLY made confusing, or intentionally WRONG to confuse 'regular people'.
I could not agree more. Much of this furor has to do with the abysmal state of modern education, particularly with regard to objective analytical and epistemological reasoning. Too much of the political and cultural discourse often devolves into vapid sloganeering and emotional diatribe.
But the cultural marxists amongst us want things to be that way, to make the populace more amenable to their demagoguery, totalitarian agenda, and their ultimate ascendancy to untrammeled power.
Thanks for that link, BTW. I have it bookmarked.
BTTT