Tag Archives: Garfield

Natural Born Timeline (updated)

by Dr. Conspiracy on 13. Mar, 2009 in Citizenship, Tutorial

  • 1712 – South Carolina General Assembly passes law on inheriting property saying that natural born subjects may have alien parents.
  • 1732 – Charter of Georgia declares every one who “happened to be born” in the province and their children born anywhere “natural born subjects”.
  • 1758 – Swiss philosopher Emmerich de Vattel writes a philosophical work, applying the concept of “natural law” to the laws of nations and international relations. De Vattel’s The Law of Nations was an influential work in America, and was considered authoritative in the area of international relations. (De Vattel is cited later in court cases in support of slavery and withholding citizenship from the children of immigrants.) De Vattel describes the natives (or indengnes) as those born in the country of citizen parents.
  • 1787 – John Jay letter to Gen. Washington expresses concern about “foreigners” in the government and suggests that the Commander in Chief be a “natural born citizen.” (underlining in original).
  • 1787 – United States Constitution drafted. The Constitution describes two kinds of citizens: “natural born citizens” in Article II as a qualification for President of the United States and “naturalization” under the enumerated powers of Congress. (more…)
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