The 14th Amendment Reexamined

Sept. 30, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: Since the Age of Kings (circa 1066 through about the 18th century) the knowledge of who and who should not be counted as a citizen of a particular country had always been a serious government concern. Kings had a mutual interest in conserving their “manpower,” because population was roughly equivalent to wealth. So, if a citizen of one country visited a different country, “papers” were required. These passports included requests for safe passage, an extension of courtesy, and an unwritten gentlemen’s agreement between kings not to “steal and keep” another king’s subjects.