| | OF OUR NATIVE COUNTRY, AND SEVERAL THINGS THAT RELATE TO IT.</ref>}} | | OF OUR NATIVE COUNTRY, AND SEVERAL THINGS THAT RELATE TO IT.</ref>}} |
| − | [[Thomas Jefferson]] gave a further definition prior to the drafting of the [[United States Constitution]]: ''"A Natural subject is one born within the king's allegiance & still owing allegiance. No instance can be produced in the English law, nor can it admit the idea of a person's being a natural subject and yet not owing allegiance. An alien is the subject or citizen of a foreign power."''<ref>Notes by Jefferson, December, 1783, pertaining to letters written by Delegates to Congress</ref> John Jay, in a letter to [[George Washington]] while he served as president of the Constitutional Convention, went further with a pointed question: "Permit me to hint whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of foreigners into the administration of our national government; and to declare expressly that the command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on any but a natural born citizen."<ref>http://www.birthers.org/USC/Vattel.html</ref> The implication is that the President of the United States should have loyalty to no country other than his own, which is naturally-guaranteed by birth to two citizen parents. | + | [[Thomas Jefferson]] gave a further definition prior to the drafting of the [[United States Constitution]]: ''"A Natural subject is one born within the king's allegiance & still owing allegiance. No instance can be produced in the English law, nor can it admit the idea of a person's being a natural subject and yet not owing allegiance. An alien is the subject or citizen of a foreign power."''<ref>Notes by Jefferson, December, 1783, pertaining to letters written by Delegates to Congress</ref> John Jay, in a letter to [[George Washington]] while he served as president of the Constitutional Convention, went further with a pointed question: "Permit me to hint whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of foreigners into the administration of our national government; and to declare expressly that the command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on any but a natural born citizen."<ref>http://www.birthers.org/USC/Vattel.html</ref> |
| | + | As such, according to this interpretation, a person born in the United States, who has one non-citizen parent (or two non-citizen parents), is not considered a "natural-born" citizen, even if the non-citizen parent(s) is/are legally residing in the United States. |