It seems to me that people used to travel the world much more freely, where governments were concerned anyway.
When did the whole idea that people should be required to have government documentation to travel surface? What were the justifications given at the time?
The idea goes back to the Hebrew Bible and King Henry V is credited with the first true passport in 1414:
I have a related, and more specific, question:
At Ellis Island in New York, millions of very poor people, (the “huddled masses” )crossed international borders, as they left their home country in Europe, often passing through other neighboring countries, and then entering a new one.
What kind of documents did they have in their pockets? And what new documents were given to them by the US authorities?
In general, passports began as VIP documents. They were not generally required until after the first world war. It was still, as I understand it, possible to travel anywhere in the western hemisphere without a passport, although travel to between Europe and America required it. This might have been part of the general tightening of immigration, which was essentially unrestricted until the '20s. The father of a friend of mine from Toronto went to Texas during the '30s and worked without asking anyone any permission. After the second war, travel in the western hemisphere started requiring passports. Travel between the US and Canada required only the slimmest ID. A driver’s licence, health card, even in one case my wife witnessed, a dept. store credit card was enough.
Why? While I cannot give a definitive answer, the simplest is, “Because they could”.
Documentation would have varied based on time period and origin. However, most immigrants during the Ellis Island period would have been inspected by the U.S. Public Health Service before they ever left Europe–the U.S. placed health inspectors at all the major European emigrant ports (Rotterdam, Liverpool, Hamburg, etc.) at least by the time of the cholera outbreaks of 1892. Those arriving at Ellis Island would have had at least an inspection card. See some examples.
Nellie Bly had to keep getting her documents checked during her race around the world in 1889. I know she got a passport.
This might be interesting for you. It’s not a great book, but it has its moments:The Passport: The History of Man’s Most Travelled Document.
Wop and Tony, I think written on foreheads.
With Out Papers and To New York.
Declan