George Washington checked out two volumes of books from the New York Society Library in 1789. It was during his first term as president of the United States. As reported by The Guardian:
"The library's ledgers show that Washington took out the books on 5 October 1789, some five months into his presidency at a time when New York was still the capital. They were an essay on international affairs called Law of Nations and the twelfth volume of a 14-volume collection of debates from the English House of Commons."
The essay on international affairs is Vattel's Law of Nations. This essay had a profound influence on our founding fathers and the framing of our Constitution. Apparently George Washington found it of such importance that he failed to return it to the library.
A very important provision in that essay is the interpretation of a natural born citizen:
THE LAW OF NATIONS
212. Citizens and Nations
The citizens are the members of the civil society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of citizens, THOSE CHILDREN NATURALLY FOLLOW THE CONDITIONS OF THEIR FATHERS, and served to all of their rights. The society is supposed to desire this, IN CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT IT OWES TO ITS OWN PRESERVATION; and it is presumed as matter, that each citizen, on entering into society; reserves to his children the right of becoming members of it. THE COUNTRY OF THE FATHER IS THEREFORE THAT OF THE CHILDREN; and these become true citizens merely by tacit consent. We shall soon see whether, on their coming of the years of discretion, they may renounce their right, and what they owe society in which they were born. I SAY IN THAT ORDER TO BE OF THE COUNTRY, IT IS NECESSARY THAT A PERSON BE BORN OF A FATHER WHO IS A CITIZEN, IF HE IS BORN THERE OF A FOREIGNER, IT WILL BE ONLY THE PLACE OF HIS BIRTH, AND NOT HIS COUNTRY.
Are we or are we not a constitutional republic? It is time that we stand up and demand that our elected representatives address whether Barack Obama meets the qualifications that our founding fathers outlined in Article II Section I.
Source: http://www.constitution.org/vattel/vattel_01.htm
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2010/0419/How-George-Washington-racked-up-a-300-000-fine-for-overdue-library-books
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