uch, had no citizens.
There were, therefore, no "citizens of the United States," (but only
citizens of the respective states,) before the adoption of the
constitution.--Yet this clause asserts that immediately on the adoption,
or "at the time of the adoption of this constitution," there _were_
"citizens of the United States." Those, then, who were "citizens of the
United States at the time of the adoption of the constitution," were
necessarily those, and only those, who had been made so by the adoption
of the constitution; because they could have become citizens at that
precise "time" in no other way. If, then, any persons were made
citizens by the adoption of the constitution, who were the _individuals_
that were thus made citizens? They were "the people of the United
States," of course--as the preamble to the constitution virtually
asserts. And if "the people of the United States" were made citizens by
the adoption of the constitution, then _all_ "the people of the United
States" were necessarily made citizens by it--for no discrimination is
made by the constitution between different individuals, "people of the
United States"--and there is therefore no means of determining who were
made citizens by the adoption of the constitution, unless _all_ "the
people of the United States" were so made. Any "person," then, who was
one of "the people of the United States" "at the time of the adoption of
this constitution," and who is thirty-five years old, and has resided
fourteen years within the United States, is eligible to the office of
president of the United States. And if every such person be eligible,
under the constitution, to the office of president of the United States,
the constitution certainly does not recognize them as slaves.

The other class of citizens, mentioned as being eligible to the office
of president, consists of the "natural born citizens." Here is an
implied assertion that _natural birth_ in the country gives the right of
citizenship. And if it gives it to one, it necessarily gives it to
all--for no discrimination is made; and if all persons, born in the
country, are not entitled to citizenship, the constitution has given us
no test by which to determine who of them are entitled to it.

Every person, then, born in the country, and that shall have attained
the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within
the United States, is eligible to the office of president. And if
eligible to