The so-called Birther movement has been an undercurrent in American politics ever since Barack Hussein Obama became a viable candidate for the U.S. presidency. The question voiced by a minority of Obama’s political opponents pertained to his qualification to hold the nation’s highest office. “Birthers,” as they have been called, questioned whether Obama had been born in the United States as he claimed. The relevant passage in the U.S. Constitution detailing the presidential citizenship qualification reads: “No Person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President” (Article II, Sec. 1).
Obama, whose father was Kenyan and who spent part of his childhood being raised in Indonesia, has always maintained that he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. While he was a candidate in 2008, his campaign released a version of his official birth certificate to prove he qualified as a “natural born Citizen.” Independent groups like FactCheck.org confirmed that the certificate was authentic. Interestingly, questions also had arisen about the citizenship status of Obama’s rival in the 2008 presidential contest, Republican senator John McCain. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, then a U.S. territory. The precise legal meaning “natural born” for the purposes of the presidential citizenship requirement has never been settled in U.S. court.
The recent buzz around the possible presidential candidacy of businessman Donald Trump may have been responsible for the surprising White House announcement. Trump, a self-professed Birther, was in the audience when the “long form” birth certificate, which had been provided by the Hawaii State Department of Health, was released.
Image credit: The White House/Handout
Related Links
- The White House Blog: President Obama’s Long Form Birth Certificate
The Obama administration’s official Web site features a video of the president’s announcement of the public release of his long-form Hawaiian birth certificate; includes speech transcript and a facsimile of the certificate, as well as the version released in 2008 by his presidential campaign. (Source: whitehouse.gov, April 27, 2011) - Obama Seeks to Quell “Birther” Talk
This Wall Street Journal article covers the release of President Obama’s birth certificate and the questions pressed by the “Birther” movement. (Source: Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2011) - 4 Ways the White House Screwed Up the Obama Birth Certificate Announcement
This Fox News opinion piece proves that despite official efforts to quell the controversy over President Obama’s birth certificate, the issue is sure to live on. (Source: Fox News, April 27, 2011) - Born in the U.S.A.: The Truth about Obama’s Birth Certificate
This FactCheck.org Web site examined the issue of President Obama’s “natural-born” birth status during the 2008 presidential campaign. (Source: Factcheck.org, August 21, 2008) - McCain’s Birth Abroad Stirs Legal Debate: His Eligibility for Presidency Is Questioned
This article from the time of the 2008 presidential contest examines the questions that surrounded Senator John McCain’s “natural-born” citizenship. (Source: Washington Post, May 2, 2008)
Unbelievable how well-wretitn and informative this was.
There is a critical shortage of informtavie articles like this.
Great source for classroom!
Wonderful thoughts
Good for curent events!
I think so too!
his middle name is hussein
0_0
Born here or not, he’ll be gone next November!
why would u say that he doing his best to please this country
This is amazing for kids that have to do assignments on current events!!!! 🙂
1. Back in 1961 people of color were called ‘Negroes.’ So how can the Obama ‘birth certificate’ state he is ‘African-American’ when the term wasn’t even used at that time?
2. The birth certificate that the White House released lists Obama’s birth as August 4, 1961. It also lists Barack Hussein Obama as his father. No big deal, right? At the time of Obama’s birth, it also shows that his father is aged 25 years old, and that Obama’s father was born in ” Kenya , East Africa .” This wouldn’t seem like anything of concern, except the fact that Kenya did not even exist until 1963, two whole years after Obama’s birth, and 27 years after his father’s birth. How could Obama’s father have been born in a country that did not yet exist? Up and until Kenya was formed in 1963, it was known as the “British East Africa Protectorate.”
3. On the birth certificate released by the White House, the listed place of birth is ” Kapi’olaniMaternity & Gynecological Hospital .” This cannot be, because the hospital(s) in question in 1961 were called “KauiKeolani Children’s Hospital” and “Kapi’olani Maternity Home,” respectively. The name did not change to Kapi’olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital until 1978, when these two hospitals merged. How can this particular name of the hospital be on a birth certificate dated 1961 if this name had not yet been applied to it until 1978?
Resources:
http://www.kapiolani.org/women-and-children/about-us/default.aspx
Post-colonial history (from Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kenya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya