Obama's birthplace isn't everything, but it is relevant. The clause "natural born" is disputed, but it was clearly put in to help ensure our president was loyal to America. The most compelling interpretation is that natural born means "born on US soil to US citizen parents," that is, born with no citizenship ties or potential obligations to a foreign nation.
It comes from a then contemporary legal reference on international law. It is disputed only by those who want to dispute it. It means strictly that the parentage (both) are citizens of the nation from which the child can claim citizenship. Where the birth occurs is not relevant to this requirement. In general, one can claim U.S. citizenship wherever born as long as one of the parents is a U.S. citizen. But that would not be "natural born." Your birth citizenship is "natural" if it derives from both parents who are already citizens. (I have a cousin born in France of a U.S. mother, and she has both U.S. and French citizenship.) The purpose is indeed as you describe.
Obama's birthplace isn't everything, but it is relevant. The clause "natural born" is disputed, but it was clearly put in to help ensure our president was loyal to America. The most compelling interpretation is that natural born means "born on US soil to US citizen parents," that is, born with no citizenship ties or potential obligations to a foreign nation.
It comes from a then contemporary legal reference on international law. It is disputed only by those who want to dispute it. It means strictly that the parentage (both) are citizens of the nation from which the child can claim citizenship. Where the birth occurs is not relevant to this requirement. In general, one can claim U.S. citizenship wherever born as long as one of the parents is a U.S. citizen. But that would not be "natural born." Your birth citizenship is "natural" if it derives from both parents who are already citizens. (I have a cousin born in France of a U.S. mother, and she has both U.S. and French citizenship.) The purpose is indeed as you describe.