This book investigates the historical evolution of the passport as a primary instrument for establishing individual identity and state control in the United States. Craig Robertson, a scholar of communication and media history, utilizes archival records and administrative history to trace how the passport transitioned from a peripheral travel document into a mandatory requirement for modern citizenship and surveillance. The work argues that the standardization of the passport reflects broader shifts in how the state defines, categorizes, and monitors its population.

Scholars and historians recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of state bureaucracy and the history of identification. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the research and the clarity with which the author connects administrative policy to the lived experience of American citizens.