The Supreme Court has declared that the Constitution recognized two, and only two, forms of Citizenship. You are either a naturalized citizen, or you are born with citizenship.
The mythical third type of citizenship, “Natural Born Citizen”, does not exist.
Period.
Here is the link to one of the Supreme Court Decisions, and below is the quote that is relevant:
http://supreme.justia.com/us/169/649/case.html
“The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, in the declaration that
“all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,”
contemplates two sources of citizenship, and two only: birth and naturalization. Citizenship by naturalization can only be acquired by naturalization under the authority and in the forms of law. But citizenship by birth is established by the mere fact of birth under the circumstances defined in the Constitution. Every person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, becomes at once a citizen of the United States, and needs no naturalization. A person born out of the jurisdiction of the United States can only become a citizen by being naturalized, either by treaty, as in the case of the annexation of foreign territory, or by authority of Congress, exercised either by declaring certain classes of persons to be citizens, as in the enactments conferring citizenship upon foreign-born children of citizens, or by enabling foreigners individually to become citizens by proceedings in the judicial tribunals, as in the ordinary provisions of the naturalization acts.”
“’Natural Born Citizen’, does not exist.”
Except in the Constitution.
Why would the Framers have put that specific term in the Constitution? They set out eligibility requirements for Senator, Representatives and POTUS. Only the last has that phrase inserted in those qualifications.
Those men did not mince words, or insert them unnecessarily into the document that would govern the republic they had so recently suffered so much to achieve.
Maybe you know something the Framers didn’t?
Sure it does. It's a person who has citizenship at birth. It's one of the two categories.
It's plainly listed as a requirement for the Commander in Chief.
| Office | Citizenship | Age | Residency (or years citizen) |
| President & Commander in Chief (1 of 1) | natural born Citizen | 35 | 14 years resident |
| Senator (1 of many) | Citizen | 30 | 9 years a Citizen |
| Represantative (1 of many) | Citizen | 25 | 7 years a Citizen |
That does not apply. It was concerned with citizenship not NBC.
Why are you discussing “citizenship” on a thread that is about “eligibility?”
They are separate and distinct issues.