American Passport

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Ti113 word passport is formed of two French words passer, to pass, and port, a port or harbor. Origi nally, it meant permission to leave a port or harbor, or sail into it, and this was extended to include gen erally permission of egress and of passage. In the strict nomenclature of international law, passports were classed with those documents known as safe conducts or letters of protection, by which the person of an enemy might be rendered safe and inviolable. These may be given to carry on the peculiar com merce of war, or for reasons which have no relation to it, which terminate with the person himself. A broader definition is, A document issued by com-332331310 petent civil authority, granting permission to the person specified in it to travel, Or authenticating his right to protection.