“The last one to be presented, by Alexander Hamilton, is known as the British Plan (because it was modeled closely after the British governmental architecture.) Although that proposal was totally rejected, it also happens to have been the only one whose text included any eligibility requirements for the Chief Executive. That plan required that that person be “born a citizen.” “
This is historically inaccurate. Hamilton’s “British Plan” was presented on June 18th, 1787. It did not have a Presidential eligiblity clause because it did not have a President. The Executive branch was headed by a “Governour”.
“IV. The supreme Executive authority of the United States to be vested in a Governour to be elected to serve during good behaviour-the election to be made by Electors chosen by the people in the Election Districts” James Madison, Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/debates_618.asp
This Governour served a life term.
Hamilton’s draft Constitution with the Presidential eligiblity clause was submitted to James Madison at the end of the Convention.
A copy of Hamilton’s draft constitution is in Madison’s papers with a note in Madison’s handwriting that says,
“Copy of a Paper communicated to James Madison by Col. Hamilton, about the close of the Convention in Philadelphia, 1787, which, he said, delineated the Constitution which he would have wished to be proposed by the Convention. He had stated the principles of it in the course of the deliberations.”
This draft with Madison’s note can be found in Appendix 5 of Elliot’s “Debates on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution”.
That’s why I didn’t say “President,” but instead used the general term “chief executive.” A governor is a chief executive.
However, you are correct that there is no evidence that Hamilton’s plan contained any eligibility requirements until the final version presented to Madison at the end of the Convention. Since it isn’t clear whether Hamilton presented the entirety of his proposed Constitution in June, or only a summary of it, we have no way of knowing whether it contained the “born a citizen” requirement at that time, or whether it was added later.
But either way, the “born a citizen” rule was rejected, even though Hamilton’s plan was rejected for other, more important reasons. The fact that Hamilton kept the “born a citizen” language even in September shows his preference, and indicates how he may have argued on the matter at the Convention.