The original definition
In the “Law of Nations” by Emerich de Vattel, he defines in Chapter 19 the concept of “natural-born citizenship” as well as citizenship in general. Natural-born citizenship is, of course, the constitutional requirement to be eligible to be president of the US. The chapter can be viewed below. The most simple, basic definition is on the second page. That is, “The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens.” Vattel also discusses a few possible exceptions to the rule, for example, those children born to citizen parents serving their country abroad. For example, those in the foreign service or military, but not others who have settled in a foreign land.
Use the arrows on the bottom to navigate through the file, 28 pages in total. The entire book can be bought on Amazon in Kindle format for only 99 cents.
See related posts here: Who is a natural-born citizen?
VTTEL Chapter 19 Law of Nations
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This is the only known definition of “natural-born citizen”. Vattel was a philosopher of natural law. Natural law in general and Vattel in particular was known to the Framers of the Constitution and had great influence on the Framers of the Constitution. So, it is believed that this is the definition that corresponds to the Framers’ original intent.
Why some want to obscure the original definition
A person may ask why so many people say that any born citizen is qualified to become president. The answer is that many very powerful, wealthy people today have a globalist financial or ideological agenda that causes them to desire a president who has an internationalist outlook and only superficial roots in America. However, globalization dilutes the sovereignty of American citizens and our control over our own Government. Decisions will be made by globalist organizations, rather than by our own elected representatives.
For one example, see the Covid pandemic response, which was largely regulated by the unelected, bureaucratic agency, the World Health Organization (WHO).
Obama is another prime example. He was not eligible for the presidency, because his father was not an American citizen, but he was elected anyway. Obama’s father was in the US on a student visa. When Obama was a candidate, he declared himself to be an “international citizen” at a rally in Berlin. The touted his non-American, international credentials, proclaiming that his father was a goatherder in Kenya and his grandfather was a cook for the British. The main theme of his talk was political globalization. It was a campaign speech for the benefit of globalists in a foreign land.
Those with a globalist agenda want more such people to be able to become president, whose ancestry is not much rooted in our Country, but more concerned about erasing the boundaries between all countries, which will me more rule from unelected international organizations. They want to change the meaning of our Constitution by the will of international elites, rather than by a vote of our elected representatives for an amendment to the Constitution.
Other References:
The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of the “natural born Citizen” Term In Our United States Constitution by CDR Charles F. Kerchner, Jr. (Retired)
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I don’t really want to hear all the defeatist mumbling about the courts and 14th amendment. The idea is to have people understand that the intent of the Framers was the definition that Vattel laid out. The 14th Amendment did not address presidential eligibility. A court can’t force people to vote for an ineligible candidate, at least not yet. 🙂 It is public opinion that is important. The courts have often ruled wrongly, just to be overturned later. Such as when the courts ruled slaves counted as 3/5ths of a person to determine political representation or more recently that there is a constitutional right to abortion. But I do not accept the idea that the courts have defined the term natural born citizen, either, but that is a different topic. The topic for this post is where does the term come from, how was it defined and how does it translate into todays environment? I believe it comes from Vattel and he gives his definition above.
Vattel applies both the law of soil (jus soli) and the law of blood (jus sanguinis).
14th Amendment only applies jus soli.
8USC1401 and 8USC1431 apply both jus soli and jus sanguinis, but US Codes are not Amendments of COTUS.
8USC1401g confers US nationality allowing the child to naturalize in the US before age 18 providing they comply with 1431 while residing in the US.
Mitt Romney’s father was born in Mexico and naturalized in the US, so cannot be POTUS, but Mitt is nbc.
Natural born US citizens are not born on foreign soil.
Barack H Obama was proved born in Hawaii. His father could have died before his birth, so British nationality is not relevant per 14A and Article II.
Ted Cruz was born on Canadian soil. US Codes cannot grant Cruz US citizenship other than naturalized, because 14A, which is COTUS, denies him nbc.
8USC1101(a)(15)(A) to (V) Defines “nonimmigrant (transient) aliens” who have a domicile outside the US which they intend to return to (get mail, pay utilities, raise family, etc.) A child born of such aliens must be registered at the noncitizen parent’s consulate and a passport issued so the minor can be raised in the parents homeland.
8USC1227 Defines transient aliens unlawfully present in the US who are deportable. A child born of such aliens must be registered at the noncitizen parent’s consulate and a passport issued so the minor can be raised in the parents homeland.
Reading in COTUS the qualifications for serving in office and backtracking the age requirement:
Rep 25-9=18
Sen 30-9=21
Pres 35-14=21
So, was there a concept of allegiance, fealty and maturity required of government servants?
People argued endlessly about details like that during Obama’s term. However, the great majority of people still don’t know that there was a definition of a “natural-born citizen” at the time the Constitution was written. So, to me, that kind of thing is just a distraction until people are informed that there was a standard at the time. The KISS principle applies.