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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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