“Both had non-citizen fathers and NOBODY in either case cared at the time.”
This passes for logic?
Every immigrant was and is taught that their children born in this country are US citizens and can grow up to be president. We have two seperate issues.
without dispute, if the person was not born IN the USA or an accepted territory, then they are not born in the USA and not eligible.
the dispute (and it is a fringe dispute) is the notion of both parents having to be citizens. This is particularly a weak argument since the immigration laws have been in flux over the centuries from the point of birt of the USA. In the earliest time some states allowed “instant citizenship”, then post 1900 you had federalizing of immigration laws. You also have naturalization status counting toward citizenship on spouces. (three vs five and blanket granting)
it is not that nobody cared, it is the fact that it simply was not then or now.