When did we start using passports? - Kristin Surak

Passports, once simple travel documents, have evolved into powerful tools of state control and global inequality. While ancient civilizations used letters of safe conduct, the modern passport system solidified after World War I to deter espionage and monitor nationality. Despite post-war efforts by the League of Nations to abolish them, passports became permanent fixtures used by governments to reinforce colonial hierarchies and suppress political dissent, exemplified by the U.S. revoking W.E.B. Du Bois’s travel documents during the Cold War. Today, digital tracking and geopolitical relationships dictate a passport's "strength," creating vast disparities where a U.S. citizen can access nearly 180 countries visa-free while a Pakistani citizen can access fewer than 40. This system further privileges the wealthy through "golden passport" programs, raising fundamental questions about whether national borders should dictate individual rights and freedoms.