Passport Act of 1782

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Ministers plenipotentiary passport for the United States to deliberate amity and peace with Great Britain while signing the Treaty of Paris

Passport Act of 1782 was enacted by the Congress of the Confederation on February 11, 1782. The Act was recorded in the twenty-second volume of the Journals of the Continental Congress.[1][2] The passport article was a letter from Thomas Smith of Virginia to George Clymer, Samuel Osgood, and James Madison regarding the nautical trade between tobacco colonies. The Act of Congress states safe passage for the Commonwealth of Virginia traders capitulants seeking to transport tobacco from Yorktown, Virginia to New York.

Passport Act, 1782[edit]

Resolved, That the secretary of Congress be, and hereby is empowered to grant letters of passport and safe conduct for the exportation of such tobacco to New York, on the conditions and under the limitations which shall, to the said Secretary and to the Superintendant of the finances of the United States, appear most proper and beneficial to the said states, being consistent with the said capitulation: provided always, that permission be not given for the exporting of tobacco, beyond the amount of the produce of the sales of the said goods belonging to the capitulants abovementioned.

- Congress of the Confederation ~ Journals of the Continental Congress, Volume 22 (February 11, 1782)

United States Laws Governing Passports[edit]

United States federal statutes establishing authorities, powers, and rulings with regards to passports and sea letters awarded within the United States.

U.S. Statutes Related to Passports
Date of Enactment Public Law No. U.S. Statute Citation U.S. Bill No. U.S. Presidential Administration
December 31, 1792 P.L. 2-1 Stat. 287 Chapter 1 George Washington
June 1, 1796 P.L. 4-45 Stat. 489 Chapter 45 George Washington
April 14, 1802 P.L. 7-26 Stat. 153 Chapter 26 Thomas Jefferson
February 28, 1803 P.L. 7-9 Stat. 203 Chapter 9 Thomas Jefferson
March 2, 1803 P.L. 7-16 Stat. 208 Chapter 16 Thomas Jefferson
March 2, 1803 P.L. 7-18 Stat. 209 Chapter 18 Thomas Jefferson
March 26, 1810 P.L. 11-19 Stat. 568a Chapter 19 James Madison
February 12, 1831 P.L. 21-20 Stat. 441 Chapter 20 Andrew Jackson
August 18, 1856 P.L. 34-127 11 Stat. 52 Chapter 127 Franklin Pierce
March 3, 1863 P.L. 37-79 12 Stat. 744 Chapter 79 Abraham Lincoln
May 30, 1866 P.L. 39-102 14 Stat. 54 Chapter 102 Andrew Johnson
February 8, 1870 Pub.Res. 41-8 16 Stat. 368 Resolution 8 Ulysses Grant
April 30, 1878 P.L. 45-74 20 Stat. 40 Chapter 74 Rutherford Hayes
June 14, 1902 P.L. 57-158 32 Stat. 386 Chapter 1088 William McKinley
March 2, 1907 P.L. 59-193 34 Stat. 1228 H.R. 24122 Theodore Roosevelt
March 4, 1909 Pub.Res. 60-60 35 Stat. 1170 H.J.Res. 235 Theodore Roosevelt
June 15, 1917 P.L. 65-24 40 Stat. 217 H.R. 291 Woodrow Wilson
May 22, 1918 P.L. 65–154 40 Stat. 559 H.R. 10264 Woodrow Wilson
November 10, 1919 P.L. 66-79 41 Stat. 353 H.R. 9782 Woodrow Wilson
June 4, 1920 P.L. 66-238 41 Stat. 739 H.R. 11960 Woodrow Wilson
July 3, 1926 P.L. 69-493 44 Stat. 887 H.R. 12495 Calvin Coolidge
June 20, 1941 P.L. 77-113 55 Stat. 252 S. 913 Franklin Roosevelt
July 26, 1968 P.L. 90-428 82 Stat. 446 S. 1418 Lyndon Johnson
September 17, 1974 P.L. 93-417 88 Stat. 1151 H.R. 15172 Gerald Ford
January 10, 2006 P.L. 109-167 119 Stat. 3578 H.R. 4501 George W. Bush

1776-1799 Treaties of Trade with Old World[edit]

Colonial America consented to terms with European dominions for respective commerce, maritime trade, and navigation regulations upon the conclusion of the American Revolution. During the cessation of the 18th century, mediterranean basin treaties were settled upon by the North African Barbary Coast and the Iberian Peninsula foreign states.

The multinational protocol documents or treaties endorse the use of passports and sea-letters for state sovereignty identification of merchant ships navigating the seven seas. The safe-conduct permits were allocated in the event of a declaration of war between nations while sequestering manners of dissension and quarrels. The travel dockets governed the full-rigged ship name, bulk and cargo aboard sailing ship, and the identity of commanders or shipmasters including their place of habitation.

1776-1794 European Commerce and Trade Treaties
Date of Ratification Artisan Treaty with Colonial America Sovereign State Source Journal Pages
September 17, 1776 Confederation Congress Plan of Treaties Foreign Nations Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 768-779
February 6, 1778 Confederation Congress Amity and Commerce France Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 12-30
October 8, 1782 Confederation Congress Amity and Commerce United Netherlands Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 32-50
April 3, 1783 Confederation Congress Amity and Commerce Sweden Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 60-79
1785 Confederation Congress Amity and Commerce Prussia Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 84-99
November 19, 1794 Confederation Congress Amity, Commerce, and Navigation Great Britain Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 116-132
1795-1799 Mediterranean Amity and Peace Treaties
Date of Ratification Artisan Treaty with Colonial America Sovereign State Source Journal Pages
September 5, 1795 Confederation Congress Peace and Amity Algeria Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 133-137
October 27, 1795 Confederation Congress Friendship, Limits, and Navigation Spain Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 138-153
November 4, 1796 Confederation Congress Peace and Friendship Libya Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 154-156
1797-1799 Confederation Congress Peace and Friendship Tunisia Continental Congress Journals, 1774-1789 157-161

See also[edit]

Arnold Cipher Jay Treaty
British America Model Treaty
Carriage of Passengers Act of 1855 Passenger Act of 1882
Cocket Passport Act of 1926
Crimes Act of 1790 Sealing wax
Foreign Ship Registry Act Steerage Act of 1819
HM Customs Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–France)
Impression seal Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Sweden)
Impressment Wartime Measure Act of 1918

Articles of Foreign Transit

Bill of lading Ship's articles
Letter of marque United Nations laissez-passer
Mediterranean pass United States passport

Maritime Navigation and trade

Age of Sail Nautical almanac
Bowditch's American Practical Navigator Shipbuilding in the American colonies
British timber trade Smuggling
Celestial navigation Transatlantic crossing
Jack Tar Winds in the Age of Sail

Origins of Passport

Biblical Old Testament Canon England in Late Middle Ages Safe Passage in Medieval England
Artaxerxes I of Persia Henry V of England British passport
Nehemiah 2 St Crispin's Day Speech Safe Conducts Act 1414

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Confederation Congress (February 11, 1782). "Continental Congress Passport Act, 1782". Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 22 (Monday, February 11, 1782): 70–71.
  2. ^ Confederation Congress (February 10, 1783). "Tobacco Cargo Passport, 1783". Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 24 (Monday, February 10, 1783): 121–122.

References[edit]

External links[edit]