This document examines the critical shift in American citizenship created by the 14th Amendment. Before 1868, a Citizen (capital C) referred to a state Citizen—sovereign members of the de jure body politic of the several states, recognized as one of the People. The 14th Amendment introduced a new statutory “citizen of the United States,” a federal ens legis fiction tied to corporate jurisdiction rather than inherent sovereignty. By distinguishing between Citizen, state Citizen, “citizen of the United States,” and one of the People, this study clarifies how rights were transformed from unalienable to regulated privileges.
states, counties, cities, and sheriffs operate not as true governments but as corporate franchises under color of law. What appears as lawful authority is instead commercial administration, where statutes function like corporate bylaws. Through birth certificates, licenses, and parens patriae, people are reduced to ens legis fictions and compelled into adhesion contracts without consent. The entire structure is fraud by design—de facto corporations masquerading as de jure government. Fraud vitiates all it touches, rendering the system void from inception and without legitimacy
This minimalist legal graphic showcases Canon 2055 and Canon 2056, foundational principles in equity and trust law. Canon 2055 affirms that a legal fiction cannot own property, while Canon 2056 declares that unrebutted claims in the public record stand as law. The clean, centered design emphasizes the gravity and simplicity of these doctrines. Though not codified in statutory law, these canons govern how presumptions, trusts, and legal identity function within commercial and administrative systems. This image is ideal for educational or advocacy use in private law and sovereignty discussions.