Both rules are true. One is a natural born citizen if they have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or if they are born on U.S. soil.
If one is born on U.S. soil then their parents' citizenship is irrelevant. If one is born outside of the U.S., then they are a natural born U.S. citizen if at least one parent holds U.S. citizenship.
Sorry. As far as the rule for president is concerned, "natural born" means that both parents are U.S. citizens. "Natural born" does not mean born on U.S. soil (though that may be "native born"). The term was 18th century terminology in international law. I repeat: the objective was to preclude having a president with any heritage citizenship in another nation, to avoid conflict of loyalty.
Sorry but that's just not true. There is only "natural born" and "naturalized". Anyone born on US soil is "natural born". That is the definition of natural born. You're born in to it and there is no other stipulation, even for presidency.
Even in your own example, one could be born on US soil to two US citizens but if a parent has dual citizenship, depending on the laws of the other country, the child could then also inherit a second citizenship. In that case the person would be born to two us citizens, on US soil, and still have dual citizenship.
From "The Law of Nations" (1758) a text used in law contemporaneous with the writing of the Constitution:
§ 212. Citizens and natives. The citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. THE NATIVES, OR NATURAL-BORN CITIZENS, ARE THOSE BORN IN THE COUNTRY, OF PARENTS WHO ARE CITIZENS. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. The society is supposed to desire this, in consequence of what it owes to its own preservation; and it is presumed, as matter of course, that each citizen, on entering into society, reserves to his children the right of becoming members of it. The country of the fathers is therefore that of the children; and these become true citizens merely by their tacit consent. We shall soon see whether, on their coming to the years of discretion, they may renounce their right, and what they owe to the society in which they were born. I say, that, in order to be of the country, it is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; for, if he is born there of a foreigner, it will be only the place of his birth, and not his country.
While one would hope that this is the way it would be interpreted if it ever came down to it, unfortunately the constitution it self does not define what a natural born citizen is, which has left it up to the supreme court.
Under the 14th Amendment's Naturalization Clause and the Supreme Court case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 US. 649, anyone born on U.S. soil and subject to its jurisdiction is a natural born citizen, regardless of parental citizenship.
While I would agree that this is certainly how it should be interpreted (having a parent who is also a citizen) for the office of presidency, given the current climate of illegals having anchor babies, I doubt the supreme court would ever agree that this is the correct interpretation. The current laws on citizenship are just not strict enough for this interpretation to hold.
Both rules are true. One is a natural born citizen if they have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or if they are born on U.S. soil. If one is born on U.S. soil then their parents' citizenship is irrelevant. If one is born outside of the U.S., then they are a natural born U.S. citizen if at least one parent holds U.S. citizenship.
Sorry. As far as the rule for president is concerned, "natural born" means that both parents are U.S. citizens. "Natural born" does not mean born on U.S. soil (though that may be "native born"). The term was 18th century terminology in international law. I repeat: the objective was to preclude having a president with any heritage citizenship in another nation, to avoid conflict of loyalty.
Sorry but that's just not true. There is only "natural born" and "naturalized". Anyone born on US soil is "natural born". That is the definition of natural born. You're born in to it and there is no other stipulation, even for presidency.
Even in your own example, one could be born on US soil to two US citizens but if a parent has dual citizenship, depending on the laws of the other country, the child could then also inherit a second citizenship. In that case the person would be born to two us citizens, on US soil, and still have dual citizenship.
From "The Law of Nations" (1758) a text used in law contemporaneous with the writing of the Constitution:
§ 212. Citizens and natives. The citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. THE NATIVES, OR NATURAL-BORN CITIZENS, ARE THOSE BORN IN THE COUNTRY, OF PARENTS WHO ARE CITIZENS. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. The society is supposed to desire this, in consequence of what it owes to its own preservation; and it is presumed, as matter of course, that each citizen, on entering into society, reserves to his children the right of becoming members of it. The country of the fathers is therefore that of the children; and these become true citizens merely by their tacit consent. We shall soon see whether, on their coming to the years of discretion, they may renounce their right, and what they owe to the society in which they were born. I say, that, in order to be of the country, it is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; for, if he is born there of a foreigner, it will be only the place of his birth, and not his country.
While one would hope that this is the way it would be interpreted if it ever came down to it, unfortunately the constitution it self does not define what a natural born citizen is, which has left it up to the supreme court. Under the 14th Amendment's Naturalization Clause and the Supreme Court case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 US. 649, anyone born on U.S. soil and subject to its jurisdiction is a natural born citizen, regardless of parental citizenship. While I would agree that this is certainly how it should be interpreted (having a parent who is also a citizen) for the office of presidency, given the current climate of illegals having anchor babies, I doubt the supreme court would ever agree that this is the correct interpretation. The current laws on citizenship are just not strict enough for this interpretation to hold.