Category Archives: Conclusions

[To start at the very beginning, click here.]  In this part, we’ll turn our attention to the developments in citizenship law after the 1857 Dred Scott decision. The first significant development we’ll note is an 1862 Opinion on Citizenship written … Continue reading →

[To start at the very beginning, click here.]  Having examined the meaning of “natural born citizen” during the lifetime of the Founders, let’s look at what it meant between that time and the US Civil War. The founding of the … Continue reading →

[Note: This post began as a portion of Part 3 of this blog’s final article. It has been split out to make a post of its own.]  Previously at this blog, we’ve looked at Mario Apuzzo’s claim that American common … Continue reading →

[To start at the very beginning, click here.]  In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the available historical clues up to the writing of our Constitution, for the meaning of “natural born citizen.” In this part, we’ll see … Continue reading →

“Your… argument is absurd given that historically a “natural born Citizen” had only one definition, i.e., a child born in the country to citizen parents. There never has been any other definition. So your attempt to go looking for one … Continue reading →

Famous Letter from Jay to Washington Proposed a Constitutional “Natural Born Citizen” Clause In the summer of 1787, leaders from across America were gathered in Philadelphia in a convention that would create a new Constitution for the fledgling United States. … Continue reading →

For the past 3 years, a few people have been pushing the idea that the Constitutional term “natural born citizen” comes from “natural law” or the “law of nature” — and that by the law of nature, “it takes two … Continue reading →

“Birther” lawyer Mario Apuzzo has repeatedly claimed that early American legal expert St. George Tucker supports his well-debunked assertion that it takes two citizen parents at the time of birth for a person to be a “natural born citizen” and … Continue reading →

“Birther” lawyer Mario Apuzzo states that “the ‘natural born Citizen’ clause as applies to republics is a word of art, an idiom, and therefore has a very specific meaning which comes down through the ages.” And he maintains that this … Continue reading →

Note: This article continues and concludes a series of three posts on “American common law” that began here and has continued with consideration of the Law of Nations, here. In a broader sense, it also completes a series of articles … Continue reading →

Did the Meaning of “Natural Born Citizen” Come From “American Common Law” Derived from the Law of Nations? New Evidence Destroys Claim on the Origin of “Natural Born Citizen.” One of the two foundational pillars of the “birther movement” has … Continue reading →