I'm no expert, but I'll try to offer what I understand. I hope someone else will offer a more expert explanation as well. Alabama was not a state until December 14, 1819. Prior to that, Alabama had been part of the Mississippi Territory since 1798, until 1817 when Mississippi became a state and Alabama was the ALabama Territory. This land was previously held by France, Spain, and England at various points. In the passport period, the southern portion of what we now know as Alabama was still claimed by Spain as part of West Florida. Moreover, the Creek Indians inhabited these lands. There was also some dispute over what belonged to the Louisiana territories. To get from GA to say New Orleans, one had to have a passport through this "foreign land," just as one must have a passport today to travel to most other nations. My impression is that the passports were issued essentially with a "wink and a nod" toward the Spanish claims and the Creek Indian treaties. It appears to me that, in reality, the settlers who had moved into GA and TN were infiltrating these precincts and homesteading them. You might wish to read about the War of 1812, the Creek Indian wars, the Louisiana Purchase, etc. However, this is a "quick and dirty" summary of the land disputes and the reasons passports were issued. Anne