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Being A Natural Born Citizen Essay

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America is rooted in the idea that all citizens should be granted equal opportunity. The United States is notorious for serving as a haven for those searching for success and also for its inclusive nature. Since the Constitution was drafted, it has been in question whether this founding principle should apply to the presidency, as this can be viewed as the most prestigious position in the country. This is stated in the U.S. Constitution in Article II Section 1 Clause 5, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President”. From the requirement’s origin to the twenty-first century, it still remains unclear what exactly this refers to. Much obscurity of the natural born citizen clause comes about when interpreting the term itself. How do we define a natural born citizen? Who …show more content…

The United States was a budding country at the time of its creation that needed protection. Insisting a qualification for a potential president to be a natural born citizen was a precaution that the Founders took to ensure that the leader of our country is serving based on moral grounds. The requisite is meant to weed out candidates hypothetically faithful to another country. In Justice Joseph Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution he argued that the purpose of the natural born citizen clause was to “cut off all chances for ambitious foreigners.” It is a fine line to determine when a constitutional requirement is needed to prevent such an event, thus why the correct course of action is still indefinite. In general, the Founding Fathers successfully shaped their Constitution to adapt to the country as it evolves. By restricting the office of presidency only to a natural born citizen, they removed any risk of globalization or advancements from influencing a prospective

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president or other members of the government to have to rely on popular oratory. They did not believe the president should constantly be on trial by the court of public opinion for everything he said. They wanted to “establish institutions which could operate effectively without the immediate support of the transient opinion” (242). The modern presidency is entirely different than what the founding fathers intended it to be.

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Another key contrast for the president from a monarch was in the fact that the president was first not only “elected by fellow citizens, [but also] subject to potential impeachment” (Amar, p. 145). Through its Constitution America broke all traditions for previous important heads of government such as shown in “British law [which] had no regularized legal [way] for ousting a bad king” (Amar, p. 199). Amar goes on to implicitly state that “the monarch himself was immune from impeachment” (Amar, p. 199). The goal for America was to differ from the way that Europe passed power through heredity without the need for or basis of merit. One way Article II of the Constitution specifically aimed to prohibit the immediate passing from father to son was through an age requirement set at thirty-five, which also gave those voting for a candidate time to judge his worthiness.

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Mini-Paper 1: The Natural-Born Requirement is No Longer Required When the Framers wrote the Constitution, their main intent was to protect the young new country from tyranny like its citizens had experienced while under British rule. This included keeping the influence of foreigners

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The role of the President of the United States of America is defined by those who have held the office. The vagueness of the Constitution has allowed the power of the office to grow and shrink with the personal differences of the men who have held the position. The presidency is not just effected by those who hold the position, the institutional environment and the society of the time also take a massive role in determining the power and effectiveness of the presidency. Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson are two of the most influential presidents because they were adored by the people. Roosevelt and Jackson both stretched the power of the presidency in ways that were never envisioned by the framers of the constitution.

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448 Words | 2 Pages

Citizenship in Athens and Rome: Which was the Better System? 1. The idea of citizenship, or a status given by a government to its people, emerged in approximately 500 BCE. Citizens were responsible for playing significant roles in the life of the state or nation, but in turn were able to possess and benefit from certain rights. Compared to Athens, the Roman Republic's system of citizenship was better in the fact that it was more generous, although careful, in granting citizenship in which rights made the government much more organized.

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As citizens we tend to elect our leaders, especially the president, based on promises, reputation, and life decisions. When voting for the next president of the Unites States we are simply voting for the person whose character we like best. Their promises and platforms reveal what they believe in and their statements and arguments reveal what they truly stand for. For the citizens of the Unites States character is a extremely important factor in determining who they vote for because character reveals the personality and beliefs of the president. However we must acknowledge that Presidents are also human and they make personal decision due to what they see best for them and not the rest of the country.

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As the initial president of the United States of America, George Washington was a model, set for future presidents that took oath. He acquired many decisions made within the Constitution as well as under it, such as designating Thomas Jefferson to Secretary of State to initiating relations with our current ally Great Britain with the signing of Jay’s Treaty. However, one of the most significant actions perpetrated was the ruling of a limit of a two year term presidency, which was later manufactured into the 22nd amendment. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt, until this day; is the only president who has served more than two terms in which he won an unprecedented fourth term. Washington’s decision has affected presidential diplomacy and applies

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In Larry Sabato’s book “A more Perfect Consitution” he raises up 23 possible amendments to the constitution in order to create a more perfect United States of America. Whilst many of Sabato’s suggestions are great and deserve reflection and study, his 12th suggestion; “Allow men and women not born in the U.S. to run for President or Vice President after having been a citizen for 20 years”, is by far the more pressing and important issue. Throughout the course of this paper I will uncover the original intent of the Natural-born Citizen Clause, the opinions of opponents and proponents of the idea, and the history of laws proposed in order to create such an amendment. The idea of allowing naturalised citizens hold higher office (Presidential/Vice

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In his article “The Good Citizen: How a Younger Generation Is Reshaping American Politics,” Russell Dalton, an author and political analyst, focuses on a specific issue in regards to “Citizenship and the Transformation of American Society.” Dalton tries to shine light on a complicated paradox issue by asking a stimulating question: ‘What does it mean to be a good citizen?’ Throughout the article, Dalton explores two types of citizenships while cross analyzing three generations that could resolve the paradox issue. His answer was confusing throughout the article, until it became apparent at the end of the article when Dalton explains the respect he has for his fellow peers views’ on ‘what does it mean to be a good citizen’ and who’s to blame

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Citizens have a say but at the same time uneducated people are not able to solely choose the next president of the United States. As Alexander Hamilton, an american statesmen and one of the founding fathers, said, “It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station” (document 1). Alexander Hamilton is saying smart, educated men should be the ones deciding who should become the next president. The United States has had the same system that has worked flawlessly, there is no reason to change a system that is still working

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1232 Words | 5 Pages

More than twelve million immigrants will make their first stop in America at Ellis Island Immigration station in the years ahead between 1892 and 1954, at least that's what we read. Who knew a small island in the New York Harbor would become my life saver ? I have waited for this day ever since I was just ten years old. I was thinking about the time when I first heard the news that we would be traveling to America when I was interrupted by a repetitive phrase. “Are you ready, Aria ?”

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433 Words | 2 Pages

Being a child of immigrant parents is not easy. You are constantly living in the fear that one day you’ll wake up and you parents won’t be there with you anymore. Specially now that we have a new president, things are getting more challenging. But don’t get me wrong, I live a happy life. I am proud to call myself a Latina.

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773 Words | 4 Pages

At the same time, parents who have children which are born to non-U.S. citizens should not be a citizen of America. Why should these children not be a citizen of America? Any child who is born of an immigrant in America should not be a citizen of America because it would not be fair because they felt bad from where their parents came from. Even though, you are born in America it does not really mean that you are a fully American. Being born in America can mean nothing to anybody because of someone they can easily say that you are not American because your parents were not born in the United

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631 Words | 3 Pages

Many people are raised up by the idea that the society they live in always needs more adjustment, and other people around them are not always friendly. I am also one of those people. Since I was little, I was taught by my father not to trust anyone around, and not to pay too much effort into any kind of relationship. Even though I might not necessarily agree with him, I still followed his advice for years. However, I always ended up feeling lonely and depressed.

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My family has always been the center of my universe. They’ve taught me the importance of being united and taking care of one another—because in the end, all we truly have is each other. My parents have raised me to be a good daughter, sister, and citizen. They’ve shaped me to be respectful, responsible, and virtuous, knowing these values will last a lifetime. But above all, my parents have instilled in me an appreciation and eagerness for education.

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