In today's world of constant identification checks; it's difficult to recall that there was ever a time when "proof of identity" was not a part of everyday life. And as anyone knows who has ever lost a passport; or let one expire on the eve of international travel; the passport has become an indispensable document. But how and why did this form of identification take on such a crucial role? In the first history of the passport in the United States; Craig Robertson offers an illuminating account of how this document; above all others; came to be considered a reliable answer to the question: who are you? Historically; the passport originated as an official letter of introduction addressed to foreign governments on behalf of American travelers; but as Robertson shows; it became entangled in contemporary negotiations over citizenship and other forms of identity documentation. Prior to World War I; passports were not required to cross American borders; and while some people struggled to understand how a passport could accurately identify a person; others took advantage of this new document to advance claims for citizenship. From the strategic use of passport applications by freed slaves and a campaign to allow married women to get passports in their maiden names; to the "passport nuisance" of the 1920s and the contested addition of photographs and other identification technologies on the passport; Robertson sheds new light on issues of individual and national identity in modern U.S. history.In this age of heightened security; especially at international borders; Robertson's The Passport in America provides anyone interested in questions of identification and surveillance with a richly detailed; and often surprising; history of this uniquely important document.
#2451311 in Books Oxford University Press; USA 2012-10-02 2012-10-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .80 x 9.20l; 1.10 #File Name: 019992757X352 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Kind of a slog but still a fascinating subjectBy J. TantBought the Kindle version...publisher; thanks for supporting Kindle!I'm still about halfway through this. It's a slow read and not a very sexy topic; but it's still interesting. For example; I hadn't known that even up until relatively recently; women didn't usually have individual passports. Instead there was a kind of family passport with a group photo (why would a respectable woman be traveling without her husband...?). Even the idea of a passport being evidence of identity is a fairly new concept.Then there is some discussion of class; with the upper classes viewing the idea of proving oneself to be a citizen as insulting. How dare some government worker not accept the word of a gentleman?! Even the customs officials disputed the need for such a thing; fancying themselves experts at just *knowing* if a fellow was telling the truth or not.All in all; it's an interesting story about how the passport has evolved in America. Four stars; would be more but as I said; the writing style makes it a slow read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Who Knew???By B. A. Smith. . . that once upon a time; people thought passports were an invasion of privacy? An absolutely wonderful resource for my research. Written in language easily understood. Much appreciated3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Thorough; but tediousBy A. JonesHalf the pages are footnotes! This book is a dissertation on the history of the US passport; and in that sense the book is absolutely what it claims to be.However; if you aren't really interested in how every Secretary of State handled passport applications thru the Second World War; you may find that the author exhausts the subject pretty early.
