The plain language of the constitution only says "natural born citizens." It makes no specific mention of the required nationalities of the parents. If we're going by plain language, then that's all we have to go on. Where is the phrase "natural born" specified to include the nationalities of the parents?
"No doubt informed by this longstanding tradition, just three years after the drafting of the Constitution, the First Congress established that children born abroad to U.S. citizens were U.S. citizens at birth, and explicitly recognized that such children were “natural born Citizens.” The Naturalization Act of 1790 provided that “the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States . . . .” "
The basic idea is that the parents, or at least the father, should have been a citizen of the United States at the time of birth. The intent was to preclude any filial loyalties (or obligations) to another country. Much of the contemporary argument seeks to vitiate this objective.
Well, there's a detail in this quote that might be overlooked with your summary:
“the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States . . . .”
This appears to be applying to cases where the child is born outside the US, seemingly excluding cases in which a child was born on American soil.
No, you have to be familiar with 18th-century written style. There are two cases covered by the definition, the first one being "children of citizens of the United States", the second being the former conditioned by being "born beyond sea or out of the limits of the United States." In both cases, the requirement is to be born of citizens of the United States. This just establishes that "natural-born" has nothing to do with geographic location.
Actually, I have something. The 14th amendment, section 1, clause 1:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
Yes, but they are not "natural-born" citizens. They can be of foreign origin and naturalized (not eligible to be President) and they can be of foreign parents and born here (the point at issue...citizens by law only, and not "natural").
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
While the Constitution does not define natural born Citizen, commentators have opined that the Framers would have understood the term to mean someone who was a U.S. citizen at birth with no need to go through a naturalization proceeding at some later time."
A person born within the boundary of the United States, according to this article, would qualify
The plain language of the constitution only says "natural born citizens." It makes no specific mention of the required nationalities of the parents. If we're going by plain language, then that's all we have to go on. Where is the phrase "natural born" specified to include the nationalities of the parents?
Where a word's meaning is at issue, it is hard to credit it with being "plain." But a reasonable treatment is at https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-128/on-the-meaning-of-natural-born-citizen/ in the paragraph involving footnote 8 and 9:
"No doubt informed by this longstanding tradition, just three years after the drafting of the Constitution, the First Congress established that children born abroad to U.S. citizens were U.S. citizens at birth, and explicitly recognized that such children were “natural born Citizens.” The Naturalization Act of 1790 provided that “the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States . . . .” "
The basic idea is that the parents, or at least the father, should have been a citizen of the United States at the time of birth. The intent was to preclude any filial loyalties (or obligations) to another country. Much of the contemporary argument seeks to vitiate this objective.
Well, there's a detail in this quote that might be overlooked with your summary:
This appears to be applying to cases where the child is born outside the US, seemingly excluding cases in which a child was born on American soil.
No, you have to be familiar with 18th-century written style. There are two cases covered by the definition, the first one being "children of citizens of the United States", the second being the former conditioned by being "born beyond sea or out of the limits of the United States." In both cases, the requirement is to be born of citizens of the United States. This just establishes that "natural-born" has nothing to do with geographic location.
Did you read the entire article you linked? I did. It exclusively continues to refer to situations where citizens are born outside the US borders.
Actually, I have something. The 14th amendment, section 1, clause 1:
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-1-1/ALDE_00000811/
Yes, but they are not "natural-born" citizens. They can be of foreign origin and naturalized (not eligible to be President) and they can be of foreign parents and born here (the point at issue...citizens by law only, and not "natural").
A person born within the boundary of the United States, according to this article, would qualify
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C5-1/ALDE_00013692/#:~:text=No%20Person%20except%20a%20natural,been%20fourteen%20Years%20a%20Resident