In the Naturalization Act of 1790, the first Congress explained phase "natural born citizen" as follows:
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In the Naturalization Act of 1790, the first Congress explained the phrase "natural born citizen" as follows:
{{cquote|The children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States''<ref>See the [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=001/llsl001.db&recNum=227 Naturalization Act of 1790]</ref>}}
{{cquote|The children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States''<ref>See the [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=001/llsl001.db&recNum=227 Naturalization Act of 1790]</ref>}}