Posted on 05/07/2010 5:56:48 PM PDT by bushpilot1
James K. Polk was born in North Carolina in 1795 and was the 11th elected President.
The author states he was the first natural born citizen elected President.
Can any one locate this book? Google books does not allow full access.
Perhaps the author gives an explanation.
All the previous presidents were born before April 30, 1789, the date of General Washington’s inauguration as the first President of the United States. They were therefore born before there was a United States, although they were born in America.
Polk was vastly underrated as President. In fact, many historians list him among the top ten of Presidents. He was the last strong president up to, I would say William McKinley, even surpassing Lincoln and Grover Cleveland.
What explanation is needed?
He was the first elected President to be a natural born citizen. (John Tyler was the first President to be natural born, but he wasn’t elected President, he was elected Vice President and became President when William Harrison died in office).
Until Tyler, all U.S. Presidents were botn before the Constitution was ratified, thus they fell into the “or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution” clause.
There was a United States under the Articles of Confederation. There was not a United States before 1781.
“James K. Polk” by They Might Be Giants
In 1844, the Democrats were split
The three nominees for the presidential candidate
Were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist
James Buchanan, a moderate
Louis Cass, a general and expansionist
From Nashville came a dark horse riding up
He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
Austere, severe, he held few people dear
His oratory filled his foes with fear
The factions soon agreed
He’s just the man we need
To bring about victory
Fulfill our manifest destiny
And annex the land the Mexicans command
And when the votes were cast the winner was
Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
In four short years he met his every goal
He seized the whole southwest from Mexico
Made sure the tarriffs fell
And made the English sell the Oregon territory
He built an independent treasury
Having done all this he sought no second term
But precious few have mourned the passing of
Mister James K. Polk, our eleventh president
Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump
How does President Polk compare to Obama. Seems Obama must match equally to Polk in order for Obama to be a natural born citizen.
Polk had two US citizen parents. Obama does not.
To determine what the author's understanding of what the term "Natural Born Citizen" meant. Presumably, he (the author) was using Vattel's definition...really the only known definition for that "type" of citizen, in 1787.
Everyone born before the Declaration of Independence was born a British citizen. In fact, in 1775, George Washington was toasting the King of England every evening at dinner.
It is possible the author means..Polk was the first President born to US citizen parents after the ratification.
The Articles was the working Constitution of the USA from 1777.
The citizenship of everyone born in the United States was disputed by Great Britain, and that dispute was not ended by the Revolutionary War, nor did treaties of peace quell the disputed claim completely. U.S. citizens were being seized and conscripted at sea under British claims of perpetual allegiance as natural born subjects to the crown, leading up to the War of 1812. This citizenship dispute was, in fact, a cause of that war.
This is why I’ve concluded that those who attribute the origin of the term natural born citizen to English common law are wrong. The Founders’ own citizenship was disputed under that same construct. “Perpetual allegiance” was roundly mocked and even despised by citizens of the United States in the years leading up to the Consitutional Convention.
The term "natural born" appears on page 33 in addition to those above.
The word "parents" (plural) appears on pages 33 and 330, likely in conjunction with the two above terms.
Searching for "Vattel" produces no results.
However, the term "law of nations" appears on pages: xii, 9, 71, 172, 185, 194, 226, 405, 417, 425, 437, 438, 513.
The Articles did not come into legal standing prior to ratification by the States, which only a few months before the conclusion of the war, in March of 1781.
Father: Samuel Polk birthplace North Carolina 1772
Mother: Jane Knox birthplace North Carolina 1776.
Even the “Law of Nations” is written in the US Constitution, and nowhere to be found in it says the “Blackstone Commentaries”.
No clause in the US Constitution is without meaning.
do you have access to the book on questia.com
Polk was found on pages:
199 309 322 371 433 465 477 512
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