This could be interpreted a couple of ways. One way is that our early leaders (which included James Madison, the Father of the Constitution) believed they had the power to define which persons born outside of US soil were natural born citizens as well.
The other is that they already believed they were, and passed a law simply to clarify that.
People continue to produce shoddy scholarship that shows no thinking by the author compiling all the scholarship. These attempts to confuse people will be fought at every step.
Try again.
Hit my ‘like’ button on that one!
From the Immigration Act of 1795:
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, that the children of persons duly naturalized, dwelling within the United States, and being under the age of twenty-one years at the time of such naturalization, and the children of citizens of the United States born out of the limits and jurisdiction of the United States, shall be considered as citizens of the United States. Provided, that the right of citizenship shall not descend on persons whose fathers have never been resident of the United States. No person heretofore proscribed by any state, or who has been legally convicted of having joined the army of Great Britain during the late war, shall be admitted as foresaid, without the consent of the legislature of the state in which such person was proscribed.
This says only that children born outside of US jurisdiction to US citizens shall be considered citizens. It does not state that they shall be “naturalized” or “natural born”.
I would conclude, barring specific redefinition, that previous definition of “natural born” would apply. This act remains vague on the specifics of the current topic.