document_title: United States passport

question_text: when were passports required to enter the us

question_tokens: when were passports required to enter the us

root

text: United States passport

text: History[edit]

text: American consular officials issued passports to some citizens of some of the thirteen states during the War for Independence (1775–1783). Passports were sheets of paper printed on one side, included a description of the bearer, and were valid for three to six months. The minister to France, Benjamin Franklin, based the design of passports issued by his mission on that of the French passport.[16]

tag: p

text: From 1776 to 1783, no state government had a passport requirement. The Articles of Confederation government (1783–1789) did not have a passport requirement.[citation needed]

text: The Department of Foreign Affairs of the war period also issued passports, and the department, carried over by the Articles of Confederation government (1783–1789), continued to issue passports. In July 1789, the Department of Foreign Affairs was carried over by the government established under the Constitution. In September of that year, the name of the department was changed to Department of State. The department handled foreign relations and issued passports, and, until the mid-19th century had various domestic duties.

text: For decades thereafter, passports were issued not only by the Department of State but also by states and cities, and by notaries public. For example, an internal passport dated 1815 was presented to Massachusetts citizen George Barker to allow him to travel as a free black man to visit relatives in Southern slave states.[17] Passports issued by American authorities other than the Department of State breached propriety and caused confusion abroad. Some European countries refused to recognize passports not issued by the Department of State, unless United States consular officials endorsed them. The problems led the Congress in 1856 to give to the Department of State the sole authority to issue passports.[18][19]

text: From 1789 through late 1941, the constitutionally established government required passports of citizens only during two periods: during the American Civil War (1861–1865), as well as during and shortly after World War I (1914–1918). The passport requirement of the Civil War era lacked statutory authority.[citation needed] During World War I (1914–1918), European countries instituted passport requirements. The Travel Control Act of May 22, 1918, permitted the president, when the United States was at war, to proclaim a passport requirement, and President Wilson issued such a proclamation on August 18, 1918. World War I ended on November 11, 1918, but the passport requirement lingered until March 3, 1921, the last day of the Wilson administration.[20]

text: In Europe, general peace between the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1815) and the beginning of World War I (1914), and development of rail roads, gave rise to international travel by large numbers of people. Countries such as Czarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire maintained passport requirements. After World War I, many European countries retained their passport requirements. Foreign passport requirements undercut the absence of a passport requirement for Americans exiting the country, under United States law, between 1921 and 1941.[21]

text: The contemporary period of required passports for Americans under United States law began on November 29, 1941.[22] A 1978 amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 made it unlawful to enter or depart the United States without an issued passport even in peacetime.[23]

text: Even when passports were not usually required, Americans requested U.S. passports. Records of the Department of State show that 130,360 passports were issued between 1810 and 1873, and that 369,844 passports were issued between 1877 and 1909. Some of those passports were family passports or group passports. A passport application could cover, variously, a wife, a child, or children, one or more servants, or a woman traveling under the protection of a man. The passport would be issued to the man. Similarly, a passport application could cover a child traveling with his or her mother. The passport would be issued to the mother. The number of Americans who traveled without passports is unknown.[24]

text: The League of Nations held a conference in 1920 concerning passports and through-train travel, and conferences in 1926 and 1927 concerning passports. The 1920 conference put forward guidelines on the layout and features of passports, which the 1926 and 1927 conferences followed up. Those guidelines were steps in the shaping of contemporary passports. One of the guidelines was about 32-page passport booklets, such as the U.S. type III mentioned in this section, below. Another guideline was about languages in passports. See Languages, below. A conference on travel and tourism held by the United Nations in 1963 did not result in standardised passports. Passport standardization was accomplished in 1980 under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

text: The design and contents of U.S. passports changed over the years.[25]  Prior to World War I the passport was typically a large (11 x 17 inch) diploma, with a large engraved seal of the Department of State at the top, repeated in red wax at the bottom, the bearer's description and signature on the left, and his name on the right above space for data such as "accompanied by his wife," all in ornate script.  In 1926, the Department of State introduced the type III passport. This had a stiff red cover, with a window cutout through which the passport number was visible. That style of passport contained 32 pages.[26] American passports had green covers from 1941 until 1976, when the cover was changed to blue, as part of the U.S. bicentennial celebration. Green covers were again issued from April 1993, until March 1994, and included a special one-page tribute to Benjamin Franklin in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the United States Consular Service.  Currently blue passports, with the pages showing historical and natural scenes of the U.S., are issued.  Initially a U.S. passport was issued for two years, although by the 1950s on application by the holder a passport could be stamped so that this time was extended without reissue.  In the succeeding decades the initial lengths for adult applicants were extended to three, five, and eventually to ten years, the current standard.  At this time stamping for a further extension is not allowed.

text:
In 1981, the United States became the first country to introduce machine-readable passports.[27]  In 2000, the Department of State started to issue passports with digital photos, and as of 2010, all previous series have expired. In 2006, the Department of State began to issue biometric passports to diplomats and other officials.[28]
Later in 2006, biometric passports were issued to the public.[1] Since August 2007, the department has issued only biometric passports, which include RFID chips.[29]

text: In 2019, the United States Department of State is expected to begin issuing diplomatic and official versions of a next generation of the US biometric passport.[30] The passport will have an embedded data chip on the information page protected by a polycarbonate coating; this will help prevent the book from getting wet and bending, and—should a passport be stolen—the chip will keep thieves from stealing personal information and falsifying an identity. The passport number will also be laser cut as tapered, perforated holes through pages—just one of several components of the "Next Generation" passport, including artwork upgrade, new security features such as a watermark, "tactile features," and more "optically variable" inks. In other words: Some designs on pages will be raised, and ink—depending on the viewing angle—will appear to be different colors.[31]

text: Administration[edit]

text: Authority for issuing passports is conferred on the Secretary of State by the Passport Act of 1926,[32] subject to such rules as the President of the United States may prescribe.[33] The Department of State has issued regulations governing such passports,[34] and its internal policy concerning issuance of passports, passport waivers, and travel letters is contained in the Foreign Affairs Manual.[35]

text: The responsibility for passport issuance lies with Passport Services, which is within the Department of State, and a unit of the Bureau of Consular Affairs. They operate 26 regional passport agencies in the United States to serve the general public.[36] Additionally, Passport Services opened regional agencies in Atlanta, El Paso, Texas, and San Diego in 2011.[37] Passport applications at most of these locations require that citizens provide proof of travel within 14 days of the application date, or who need to obtain foreign visas before traveling.

text: There are about 9,000 passport acceptance facilities in the United States, designated by Passport Services, at which routine passport applications may be filed. These facilities include United States courts, state courts, post offices, public libraries, county offices, and city offices.[38] In fiscal year 2015, the Department of State issued 15,556,216 (includes 1,647,413 passport cards) and there were 125,907,176 valid U.S. passports in circulation.[39] The passport possession rate of the U.S. was approximately 39% of the population in 2015.

text: Restrictions[edit]

text: It is unlawful to enter or exit the United States without a valid passport or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant passport-replacement document, or without an exception or waiver.[8][9][10]

text: The use of passports may be restricted for foreign policy reasons. In September 1939, in order to preserve the United States' neutrality in relation to the breakout of World War II, then Secretary of State Cordell Hull issued regulations declaring that outstanding passports, together with passports issued thereafter, could not be used for travel to Europe without specific validation by the Department of State, and such validation could not last more than six months.[40] Similar restrictions can still be invoked upon notice given in the Federal Register,[41] and such notice was issued in 2017, so that passports were "declared invalid for travel to, in, or through the DPRK unless specially validated for such travel."[42]

text: As confirmed in Haig v. Agee, the administration may deny or revoke passports for foreign policy or national security reasons at any time,[8] as well as for other reasons as prescribed by regulations.[43] A notable example of enforcement of this was the 1948 denial of a passport to U.S. Representative Leo Isacson, who sought to go to Paris to attend a conference as an observer for the American Council for a Democratic Greece, a Communist front organization, because of the group's role in opposing the Greek government in the Greek Civil War.[44][45] Denial or revocation of a passport does not prevent the use of outstanding valid passports.[46] The physical revocation of a passport is often difficult, and an apparently valid passport can be used for travel until officially taken by an arresting officer or by a court.[46]

text: It should be noted that the lack of a valid passport (for whatever reason, including revocation) does not render the U.S. citizen either unable to leave the United States, or inadmissible into the United States. The United States is a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees residents of its signatories wide-ranging rights to enter or depart their own countries. In Nguyen v. INS, the Supreme Court stated that U.S. citizens are entitled "...to the absolute right to enter its borders."[47] Lower federal courts went as far as to declare that "...the Government cannot say to its citizen, standing beyond its border, that his reentry into the land of his allegiance is a criminal offense; and this we conclude is a sound principle whether or not the citizen has a passport, and however wrongful may have been his conduct in effecting his departure."[48] Therefore, even in the absence of a valid passport, U.S. citizens are not denied entry into the United States, though these travelers may be delayed while the CBP attempts to verify their identity and citizenship status.[49] The U.S. does not exercise passport control on exit from the country,[50] so the individual attempting to depart from the U.S. only needs to have valid documents granting him/her right to entry into the country of destination.

text: Travel of U.S. citizens and nationals around the United States and across its international borders is generally controlled by means other than passports, such as the No Fly List.

text: Passport requirements[edit]

text: Citizens and non-citizen nationals[edit]

text: United States passports are issuable only to persons who owe permanent allegiance to the United States – i.e., citizens and non-citizen nationals of the United States.[51]

text: Under the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States ..."[52] Under this provision, "United States" means the 50 states and the District of Columbia only.[53]

text: By acts of Congress, every person born in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands is a United States citizen by birth.[54] Also, every person born in the former Panama Canal Zone whose father or mother (or both) was a citizen is a United States citizen by birth.[55]

text: Other acts of Congress provide for acquisition of citizenship by persons born abroad.[56]

text: Every citizen is a national of the United States, but not every national is a citizen. There is a small class of American Samoans, born in American Samoa, including Swains Island, who are nationals but not citizens of the United States,[57] This is because people born in American Samoa are not automatically granted US citizenship by birth.[58] See Passport message, below.

text: United States law permits dual nationality.[59]  Consequently, it is permissible to have and use a foreign passport. However, U.S. citizens are required to use a U.S. passport when leaving or entering the United States.[60]  This requirement extends to a U.S. citizen who is a dual national.[61]

text: Separate passports are issued to U.S. citizens on official business, and to diplomats, a process followed by all countries.  The United Nations laissez-passer is a similar document issued by that international organization.

text: Passport in lieu of certificate of non-citizenship nationality[edit]

text: Few requests for certificates of non-citizenship nationality are made to the Department of State, which are issuable by the department. Production of a limited number of certificates would be costly, which if produced certificates would have to meet stringent security standards. Due to this, the Department of State chooses not to issue certificates of non-citizen nationality; instead, passports are issued to non-citizen nationals. The issued passport certifies the status of a non-citizen national.[62] The certification is in the form of "U.S. National" instead of "USA" on the front of the passport card, or an endorsement in the passport book: "The bearer is a United States national and not a United States citizen."[63]

text: Application[edit]

text: An application is required for the issuance of a passport.[64] If a fugitive being extradited to the United States refuses to sign a passport application, the consular officer can sign it "without recourse."[65]

text: An application for a United States passport made abroad is forwarded by a U.S. embassy or consulate to Passport Services for processing in the United States. The resulting passport is sent to the embassy or consulate for issuance to the applicant. An emergency passport is issuable by the embassy or consulate. Regular issuance takes approximately 4–6 weeks.[66] As per Haig v. Agee, the Presidential administration may deny or revoke passports for foreign policy or national security reasons at any time.

text: Places where a U.S. passport may be applied for include post offices and libraries.[67]

text: Forms[edit]

text: DS11 Standard[68]

text:
The applicant has never been issued a U.S. passport
The applicant is under age 16
The applicant was under age 16 when upon the issuance of the applicants previous passport
The applicant's recent U.S. passport was issued more than 15 years ago
The applicant's most recent U.S. passport was lost or stolen
The applicant's name has changed since the applicant's U.S. passport was issued and the applicant is unable to legally document the change of name

tag: ul

text: All applicants using a form DS-11 must appear in person, and pay and additional $35 execution fee, in addition to the cost of their passport book and/or card. In addition, the first time an applicant applies for a passport following or during gender reassignment must also use a Form DS-11.[69]

text: DS82 Renewal[70]

text: The applicant's most recent U.S. passport:

text:
Is undamaged and can be submitted with your application
Was issued when the applicant was age 16 or older
Was issued within the last 15 years
Was issued in the applicant's current name or the applicant can legally document a change of name

text: The advantage of the DS-82 passport renewal form is a traveller can mail in the form on their own, and they also do not have to pay the $35 processing fee associated with a DS-11 passport application.

text: DS64 Lost[71]

text: Lost or stolen passport requires DS64 in addition to DS11 only if the lost passport is valid due to the second passport rule:

text: Second passport[edit]

text: More than one valid United States passport of the same type may not be held, except if authorized by the Department of State.[72]

text: It is routine for the Department of State to authorize a holder of a regular passport to hold, in addition, a diplomatic passport or an official passport or a no-fee passport.

text: One circumstance which may call for issuance of a second passport of a particular type is a prolonged visa-processing delay. Another is safety or security, such as travel between Israel and a country which refuses to grant entry to a person with a passport which indicates travel to Israel. The period of validity of a second passport issued under either circumstance is generally 4 years from the date of issue.[73]

text: Those who need a second identification document in addition to the U.S. passport may hold a U.S. passport card. This passport card is used by U.S. citizens living abroad when they need to renew their regular passport book, renew their residency permit or apply for a visa - in other words, when they cannot show their regular passport yet are required by local law to carry valid identification.

text: Document requirements[edit]

text:
in-state valid photo ID
birth certificate or naturalization certificate
2x2 photo

text: Passport photograph[edit]

text: Passport photo requirements are very specific.[74][75][76]  Official  U.S. state department photographic guidelines are available online.[77]

text:
2 in × 2 in (5.1 cm × 5.1 cm)
The height of the head (top of hair to bottom of chin) should measure 1 to 1 3⁄8 inches (25 to 35 mm)
Eye height is between 1 1⁄8 to 1 3⁄8 inches (29 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo
Front view, full face, open eyes, closed mouth, and neutral expression
Full head from top of hair to shoulders
Plain white or off-white background
No shadows on face or in background
No sunglasses (unless medically necessary). As of November 1, 2016, the wear of eyeglasses in U.S. passport photos is not allowed.[78]
No hat or head covering (unless for religious purposes; religious head covering must not obscure hairline)
Normal contrast and lighting

text: Fees[edit]

text: Fees for applying vary based on whether or not an applicant is applying for a new passport or they are renewing an expiring passport. Fees also vary depending on whether an applicant is under the age of 16.

text: First-time applications[edit]

text: First-time adult applicants are charged $110 per passport book and $30 per passport card. Additionally, a $35 execution fee is charged per transaction, but only for first applications and not for renewals. This means that if a person were to apply for the passport book and card simultaneously on the same application, he or she would pay only one execution fee.[79]

text: All minor applicants are considered first-time applicants until they reach age 16. Minor applicants pay an $80 application fee for the passport book and a $15 application fee for the passport card. The same $35 execution fee is charged per application.[79]

text: Renewal applications[edit]

text: Adults wishing to renew their passports may do so up to five years after expiration at a cost of $110 for the passport book and $30 for the passport card. Passports for minors under age 16 cannot be renewed.[79]

text: Special renewal rules[edit]

text: If a person is already in possession of a passport book and would like a passport card additionally (or vice versa), they may submit their currently valid passport book or card as evidence of citizenship and apply for a renewal to avoid paying a $35 execution fee. However, if the passport book or card holder is unable or unwilling to relinquish their currently valid passport for the duration of the processing, they may submit other primary evidence of citizenship, such as a U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate, and apply as a first time applicant, paying the execution fee and submitting a written explanation as to why they are applying in this manner.[80]

text: Additional fees[edit]

text:
An expedite fee of $60 is charged when applicants request faster processing, regardless of age. This processing is currently 2–3 weeks when applying at an acceptance facility. The same fee is charged for expedited service when applying at a Passport Agency within 14 days of travel.[81]
In addition to the expedite fee, applicants may pay an additional $15.89 to receive overnight mail return when their application has finished processing.[82] This can be paid in combination with the application fee when applying, or added later by calling the National Passport Information Center. However, overnight mail return is only available for the U.S. Passport Book. Passport cards may not be overnight mailed.[82]
As of January 1, 2016, passports may no longer have pages added to them. When applying for a new passport, applicants may apply for a 28-page or 52-page passport, with no additional cost for obtaining the 52-page passport.[83][84]

text: Types of passports[edit]

text: Passport layout[edit]

text: Format[edit]

text: On the front cover, a representation of the Coat of arms of the United States is at the center.  "PASSPORT" (in all capital letters) appears above the representation of the Great Seal, and "United States of America" (in Garamond italic) appears below.

text: An Official passport has "OFFICIAL" (in all capital letters) above "PASSPORT". The capital letters of "OFFICIAL" are somewhat smaller than the capital letters of "PASSPORT".

text: A Diplomatic passport has "DIPLOMATIC" (in all capital letters) above "PASSPORT". The capital letters of "DIPLOMATIC" are somewhat smaller than the capital letters of "PASSPORT".

text: A Travel Document, in both forms (Refugee Travel Document and Permit to Re-Enter), features the seal of the Department of Homeland Security instead of the Great Seal of the United States. Above the seal the words "TRAVEL DOCUMENT" appears in all capital letters. Below the seal is the legend "Issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services" in upper and lower case.

text: In 2007, the passport was redesigned, after previous redesign in 1993. There are 13 quotes in the 28-page version of the passport and patriotic-themed images on the background of the pages.[102]

text: A biometric passport has the e-passport symbol at the bottom. There are 32 pages in a biometric passport. Frequent travelers may request 52-page passports for no additional cost. Extra visa pages could previously be added to a passport,[103] but, as of January 1, 2016, the service was discontinued entirely for security reasons.[84]

text: Data page and signature page[edit]

text: Each passport has a data page and a signature page.

text: A data page has a visual zone and a machine-readable zone. The visual zone has a digitized photograph of the passport holder, data about the passport, and data about the passport holder:

text:
Photograph
Type [of document, which is "P" for "personal"]
Code [of the issuing country, which is "USA" for "United States of America"]
Passport No.
Surname
Given Name(s)
Nationality
Date of Birth
Place of Birth (lists the state/territory followed by "U.S.A." for those born in the United States; lists the current name of the country of birth for those born abroad)
Sex
Date of Issue
Date of Expiration
Authority
Endorsements

text: The machine-readable zone is present at the bottom of the page and contains P<USA[SURNAME]<<[GIVEN NAME(S)]<<<<<<<<<< in the first line and [PASSPORT NO. + 1 DIGIT]USA[DATE OF BIRTH + 1 DIGIT + SEX + DATE OF EXPIRATION + 10 DIGITS]<[6 DIGITS] in the second line. Both lines contain 44 characters in a fixed-width all-caps font, with the top line ending with enough left angle brackets to fill the 44 character limit.

text: A signature page has a line for the signature of a passport holder. A passport is not valid until it is signed by the passport holder. If a holder is unable to sign his passport, it is to be signed by a person who has legal authority to sign on the holder's behalf.[104]

text: Place of birth[edit]

text: Place of birth was first added to U.S. passports in 1917. The standards for the names of places of birth that appear in passports are listed in volume 8 of the Foreign Affairs Manual, published by the Department of State.[105] A request to list no place of birth in a passport is never accepted.[106]

text: For birthplaces within the United States and its territories, it contains the name of the state or territory followed by "U.S.A.", except for the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. For persons born in the District of Columbia, passports indicate "Washington, D.C., U.S.A." as the place of birth.

text: For places of birth located outside the United States, only the country or dependent territory is mentioned. The name of the country is the current name of the country that is presently in control of the territory the place of birth and thus changes upon a change of a country name. For example, people born before 1991 in the former Soviet Union (including the Baltic states, whose annexation by the Soviet Union was never recognized by the U.S.) would have the post-Soviet country name listed as the place of birth. Another example is that for birth in the former Panama Canal Zone, "Panama" is listed as the place of birth. A citizen born outside the United States may be able to have his city or town of birth entered in his passport, if he or she objects to the standard country name. However, if a foreign country denies a visa or entry due to the place-of-birth designation, the Department of State will issue a replacement passport at normal fees, and will not facilitate entry into the foreign country.[107]

text: Provisions exist to deal with the complexities of the Greater China Region. Per the One-China policy, the United States recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China, while considering the status of Taiwan to be undetermined. However, people born in Taiwan can choose to have either "Taiwan", "China", or their city of birth listed as place of birth. People born in Hong Kong or Macau would have their place of birth as "Hong Kong SAR" or "Macau SAR," but the option of listing the city of birth only (e.g. "Hong Kong" or "Macau"  without "SAR") is not available. As Tibet is recognized as part of China, the place of birth for people born in Tibet is written as "China", with the option of listing only the city of birth.[108]

text: Special provisions are in place for people born in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. For birth in places other than Jerusalem (using its 1948 municipal borders) and the Golan Heights, "Israel", "West Bank", or "Gaza Strip" is used. If born before 1948, "Palestine" may be used. For birth in the Golan Heights, "Syria" is used regardless of date of birth. Due to the legal uncertainty of the status of Jerusalem, for birth in Jerusalem within its 1948 municipal borders, "Jerusalem" is used regardless of date of birth.[109] In 2002, Congress passed legislation that said that American citizens born in Jerusalem may list "Israel" as their country of birth, although Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have not allowed it.[110] A federal appeals court declared the 2002 law invalid on July 23, 2013,[111] and the Supreme Court upheld that decision on June 8, 2015.[112] In all cases, the city or town of birth may be used in place of the standard designations.[109]

text: For birth aboard aircraft and ships, if the birth occurs in an area where no country has sovereignty (i.e. over international waters), the place of birth is listed as "in the air" or "at sea" where appropriate.[113]

text: Passport message[edit]

text: Passports of many countries contain a message, nominally from the official who is in charge of passport issuance (e.g., secretary of state, minister of foreign affairs), addressed to authorities of other countries. The message identifies the bearer as a citizen of the issuing country, requests that he or she be allowed to enter and pass through the other country, and requests further that, when necessary, he or she be given help consistent with international norms. In American passports, the message is in English, French, and Spanish. The message reads:

text: In English:

text: in French:

text: and in Spanish:

text: The term "citizen/national" and its equivalent terms ("citoyen ou ressortissant"; "ciudadano o nacional") are used in the message as some people born in American Samoa, including Swains Island, are nationals but not citizens of the United States.

text: The masculine inflections of "Le Secrétaire d'État" and "El Secretario de Estado" are used in all passports, regardless of the sex of the Secretary of State at the time of issue.

text: Sex offenders[edit]

text: In November 2017, pursuant to the International Megan's Law, the U.S. Department of State announced that passports of US citizens previously convicted of sex crimes against minors would be endorsed with the message, "The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to (U.S. law)."[114]

text: Languages[edit]

text: At a League of Nations conference in 1920 about passports and through-train travel, a recommendation was that passports be written in French (historically, the language of diplomacy) and one other language.

text: English, the de facto national language of the United States, has always been used in U.S. passports. At some point subsequent to 1920, English and French were used in passports. Spanish was added during the second Clinton administration, in recognition of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico.

text: The field names on the data page, the passport message, the warning on the second page that the bearer is responsible for obtaining visas, and the designations of the amendments-and-endorsements pages, are printed in English, French, and Spanish.

text: Biometric passport[edit]

text: The legal driving force of biometric passports is the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, which states that smart-card Identity cards may be used in lieu of visas. That law also provides that foreigners who travel to the U.S., and want to enter the U.S. visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program, must bear machine-readable passports that comply with international standards. If a foreign passport was issued on or after October 26, 2006, that passport must be a biometric passport.

text: The electronic chip in the back cover of a U.S. passport stores an image of the photograph of the passport holder, passport data, and personal data of the passport holder; and has capacity to store additional data.[29]  The capacity of the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip is 64 kilobytes, which is large enough to store additional biometric identifiers in the future, such as fingerprints and iris scans.

text: Data in a passport chip is scannable by electronic readers, a capability which is intended to speed up immigration processing. A passport does not have to be plugged into a reader in order for the data to be read. Like toll-road chips, data in passport chips can be read when passport chips are proximate to readers. The passport cover contains a radio-frequency shield, so the cover must be opened for the data to be read.

text: According to the Department of State, the Basic Access Control (BAC) security protocol prevents access to that data unless the printed information within the passport is also known or can be guessed.[115]

text: According to privacy advocates, the BAC and the shielded cover are ineffective when a passport is open, and a passport may have to be opened for inspection in a public place such as a hotel, a bank, or an Internet cafe. An open passport is subject to unwelcome reading of chip data, such as by a government agent who is tracking a passport holder's movements or by a criminal who is intending identity theft.[116]

text: Visa requirements[edit]

text: Visa requirements for the United States citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of United States. According to the 2018 Visa Restrictions Index, holders of a United States passport can visit 174 countries and territories visa-free or with visa on arrival.[117] The United States passport is currently ranked 4th alongside Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the UK.

text: Foreign travel statistics[edit]

text: These are the numbers of visits by U.S. nationals to various countries in 2015 (unless otherwise noted):

text:
showForeign travel statistics

Destination
Number of visitors

 American Samoa[note 1][118]

17,560

 Angola[119]

17,259

 Anguilla[note 1][120]

101,055

 Antarctica[note 2][121]

14,893

 Antigua and Barbuda[note 2][122]

96,347

 Aruba[note 3][123]

576,793

 Australia[note 2][124]

781,000

 Austria[note 4][note 1][125]

702,900

 Azerbaijan[note 1][126]

12,291

 Bahamas[127]

1,146,272

 Barbados[note 4][note 1][128]

168,945

 Belgium[note 1][129]

299,907

 Belize[note 1][note 4][130]

254,544

 Bermuda[note 2][131]

551,976

 Bhutan[note 2][132]

9,220

 Bolivia[note 1][133]

58,403

 Bosnia and Herzegovina[note 2][134]

25,926

 Botswana[135]

49,451

 Brazil[note 2][136]

475,232

 British Virgin Islands[note 5][137]

442,434

 Bulgaria[note 2][138]

90,963

 Burkina Faso[note 1][139]

5,611

 Cambodia[note 1][140]

238,658

 Cameroon[note 3][note 4][141]

13,280

 Canada[note 2][142]

24,335,415

 Cape Verde[note 4][143]

4,282

 Cayman Islands[note 2][note 6][144]

340,955

 Chile[note 2][145]

211,718

 China[146]

2,085,800

 Colombia[note 2][147]

529,013

 Congo[note 7][148]

5,352

 Cook Islands[note 1][149]

6,192

 Costa Rica[note 2][150]

1,199,241

 Croatia[note 2][151]

451,947

 Cuba[152]

91,254

 Curacao[note 1][153]

59,714

 Cyprus[note 2][154]

25,388

 Czech Republic[note 4][note 2][155]

539,023

 Dominica[156]

17,773

 Dominican Republic[note 2][157]

2,073,963

 Dutch Caribbean:[note 3][note 6][158]
 Bonaire
 Saba
 Sint Eustatius

5,900
2,000
2,700
1,200

 Ecuador[note 3][159]

259,406

 El Salvador[note 8][160]

447,628

 Estonia[note 4][note 2][161]

38,381

 Fiji[note 2][162]

81,198

 Finland[note 4][note 2][163]

124,997

 France[164]

3,622,362

 French Polynesia[note 2][165]

51,095

 Gambia[note 7][166]

4,058

 Georgia[note 2][167]

42,645

 Germany[note 1][168]

2,558,495

 Greece[169]

750,250

 Greenland[note 1][170][171]

2,767

 Grenada[note 2][172]

67,250

 Guam[note 2][note 6][173]

77,058

 Guatemala[note 3][174]

447,140

 Guyana[note 9][175]

82,966

 Haiti[note 10][176]

266,793

 Hong Kong[note 2][177]

1,215,629

 Hungary[note 4][note 1][178]

275,314

 Iceland[note 2][179]

576,403

 Indonesia[note 1][180]

316,782

 India[note 1][181]

1,296,939

 Ireland[note 1][182]

1,294,000

 Israel[note 1][183]

672,100

 Italy[note 1][184]

3,567,000

 Jamaica[note 2][185]

1,509,963

 Japan[note 2][186]

1,375,000

 Jordan[note 1][187]

166,441

 Kazakhstan[note 1][188]

26,402

 Kiribati[note 11][189]

100

 Kyrgyzstan[note 1][190]

13,900

 Laos[note 1][191]

58,094

 Latvia[note 4][note 2][192]

44,760

 Lebanon[note 1][193]

154,095

 Lesotho[note 5][194]

2,679

 Lithuania[note 1][195]

35,300

 Luxembourg[note 1][note 4][196]

32,144

 Macau[note 2][197]

186,378

 Macedonia[note 1][note 4][198]

11,495

 Madagascar[199]

4,165

 Malaysia[note 2][200]

198,203

 Maldives[note 2][201]

39,180

 Malta[note 2][202]

35,758

 Malawi[note 12][203]

36,386

 Mali[note 3][204]

4,479

 Martinique[note 9][205]

6,463

 Mauritius[note 2][206]

9,655

 Mexico[note 2][note 6][207]

10,340,463

 Micronesia[208]

6,671

 Moldova[note 2][209]

21,878

 Mongolia[note 2][210]

16,684

 Montenegro[note 4][note 1][211]

18,874

 Montserrat[note 9][212]

1,665

 Myanmar[note 1][213]

76,502

 Namibia[214]

26,339

   Nepal[215]

42,687

 Netherlands[note 2][216]

1,450,000

 New Zealand[note 2][217]

330,128

 Niue[note 12][218]

157

 Nicaragua[note 1][219]

288,538

 Northern Mariana Islands[note 2][220]

8,528

 Oman[note 5][221]

53,165

 Pakistan[note 12][222]

117,500

 Panama[223]

338,590

 Papua New Guinea[note 1][224]

12,181

 Paraguay[225]

19,479

 Peru[226]

545,212

 Philippines[note 2][227]

957,813

 Poland[note 1][228]

474,100

 Qatar[note 1][229]

102,774

 Romania[note 1][230]

175,667

 Russia[note 2][231]

293,011

 São Tomé and Príncipe[note 13][232]

154

 Saint Lucia[233]

152,738

 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[234]

22,324

 Samoa[235]

10,591

 Serbia[note 2][note 4][236]

34,169

 Seychelles[237]

6,038

 Singapore[note 2][238]

565,250

 Sint Maarten[note 9][239]

236,379

 Slovakia[note 1][note 4][240]

45,670

 Slovenia[note 2][note 4][241]

95,863

 Solomon Islands[242]

1,413

 South Africa[243]

297,226

 South Korea[note 2][244]

868,881

 Spain[note 2][245]

2,650,068

 Sri Lanka[note 2][246]

57,479

 Suriname[note 2][247]

6,827

 Swaziland[note 1][248]

18,014

 Taiwan[note 2][249]

577,628

 Tanzania[note 1][250]

86,860

 Thailand[note 2][251]

1,056,124

 Timor-Leste[note 3][note 14][252]

1,666

 Tonga[253]

6,718

 Trinidad and Tobago[note 3][254]

161,539

 Tunisia[note 5][255]

13,896

 Turkey[note 2][256]

329,257

 Turks and Caicos[257]

315,247

 Tuvalu[note 11][258]

85

 Uganda[note 5][259]

56,766

 Ukraine[note 2][260]

153,778

 United Arab Emirates[note 2][261]

633,000

 United Kingdom[note 2][262]

3,308,000

 Uzbekistan[note 15][263]

1,200

 Venezuela[note 5][264]

70,457

 Vietnam[note 2][265]

614,117

 Zambia[266]

38,496

 Zimbabwe[267]

66,577

tag: table

text:
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Data for 2016

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd Data for 2017

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Dats for 2014

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Counting only guests in tourist accommodation establishments.

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Data for 2013

^ Jump up to: a b c d Data for arrivals by air only.

^ Jump up to: a b Data for 2012

Jump up ^ Excluding an one-day visits

^ Jump up to: a b c d Data for 2010

Jump up ^ Data for 2007

^ Jump up to: a b Data for 2011

^ Jump up to: a b c Data for 2009

Jump up ^ Data for 2005

Jump up ^ Data for arrivals by air only.

Jump up ^ Data for 2015

tag: ol

text: Gallery of historic images[edit]

text:
Cover of a non-biometric passport issued prior to August 2007

Cover of one of the first blue passports (the color was introduced for the Bicentennial in 1976)

Cover of a passport (1930)


document_title: 2018 NFL season

question_text: when is the 2018 nfl season schedule released

text: 2018 NFL season

text: Player movements[edit]

text: The 2018 NFL League year began on March 14. On March 12, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the agents of players who were to become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. On March 9, clubs were allowed to exercise options for 2018 on players who have option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2017 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. Teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "Top-51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a collected salary cap hit below the actual cap). The 2018 trading period also began March 14.

text: Free agency[edit]

text: Over 550 players were eligible for some form of free agency during the free agency period.[1] Notable players to change teams include:

text:
Quarterbacks Sam Bradford (Minnesota to Arizona), Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota to New York Jets) Kirk Cousins (Washington to Minnesota), Case Keenum (Minnesota to Denver), and A.J. McCarron (Cincinnati to Buffalo).
Running backs Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland to New York Jets), Carlos Hyde (San Francisco to Cleveland), Dion Lewis (New England to Tennessee), and Jerick McKinnon (Minnesota to San Francisco)
Wide receivers Danny Amendola (New England to Miami), Allen Hurns (Jacksonville to Dallas), Jordy Nelson (Green Bay to Oakland), Allen Robinson (Jacksonville to Chicago), and Sammy Watkins (Los Angeles Rams to Kansas City).
Tight ends Trey Burton (Philadelphia to Chicago), Jimmy Graham (Seattle to Green Bay), and Austin Seferian-Jenkins (New York Jets to Jacksonville)
Offensive linemen Cameron Fleming (New England to Dallas), Andrew Norwell (Carolina to Jacksonville), Mike Pouncey (Miami to Los Angeles Chargers), Justin Pugh (New York Giants to Arizona), Weston Richburg (New York Giants to San Francisco), Nate Solder (New England to New York Giants), Josh Sitton (Chicago to Miami), and Travis Swanson (Detroit to New York Jets)
Defensive linemen Adrian Clayborn (Atlanta to New England), Vinny Curry (Philadelphia to Tampa Bay), Sheldon Richardson (Seattle to Minnesota), Ndamukong Suh (Miami to Los Angeles Rams), and Muhammad Wilkerson (New York Jets to Green Bay)
Linebackers Demario Davis (New York Jets to New Orleans), Trent Murphy (Washington to Buffalo), Tahir Whitehead (Detroit to Oakland) and Avery Williamson (Tennessee to New York Jets)
Defensive backs Malcolm Butler (New England to Tennessee), Morgan Burnett (Green Bay to Pittsburgh), T. J. Carrie (Oakland to Cleveland), Ross Cockrell (New York Giants to Carolina), E. J. Gaines (Buffalo to Cleveland), Marcus Gilchrist (Houston to Oakland), Trumaine Johnson (cornerback) (Los Angeles Rams to New York Jets), Tyrann Mathieu (Arizona to Houston), Rashaan Melvin (Indianapolis to Oakland), Patrick Robinson (Philadelphia Eagles to New Orleans), and Richard Sherman (Seattle to San Francisco)
Punter Marquette King (Oakland to Denver)

text: Trades[edit]

text:
March 14: Miami traded WR Jarvis Landry to Cleveland for a 2018 4th round selection (123rd overall) and a 2019 7th round selection.[2]
March 14: Buffalo traded QB Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland for a 2018 3rd round selection (65th overall).[3]
March 14: Buffalo traded T Cordy Glenn, a 2018 1st round selection (21st overall), and a 2018 5th round selection (158th overall) to Cincinnati for a 2018 1st round selection (12th overall) and a 2018 6th round selection (187th overall).[3]
March 14: Green Bay traded CB Damarious Randall, a 2018 4th round selection (114th overall), and a 2018 5th round selection (150th overall) to Cleveland for QB DeShone Kizer, a 2018 4th round selection (101st overall), and a 2018 5th round selection (138th overall)[2]
March 14: Cleveland traded DT Danny Shelton and a 2018 5th round selection (159th overall) to New England for a 2019 3rd round selection.[4]
March 14: Kansas City traded QB Alex Smith to Washington in exchange for CB Kendall Fuller and a 2018 3rd round selection (78th overall).[5]
March 14: Kansas City traded CB Marcus Peters and a 2018 6th round draft selection (196th overall) to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2018 4th round selection (124th overall) and a 2019 2nd round selection.[6]
March 14: Denver traded CB Aqib Talib to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2018 5th round selection (160th overall).[7]
March 14: Denver traded QB Trevor Siemian and a 2018 7th round selection (225th overall) to Minnesota for a 2019 5th round selection.[8]
March 14: The Los Angeles Rams traded LB Alec Ogletree and a 2019 7th round draft selection to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2018 4th round selection (135th overall) and a 2018 6th round selection (176th overall).[9]
March 14: The Los Angeles Rams traded DE Robert Quinn and a 2018 6th round selection to Miami in exchange for a 2018 4th round selection and a 2018 6th round selection.[10]
March 14: Seattle traded DE Michael Bennett and a 2018 7th round selection to Philadelphia for WR Marcus Johnson and a 2018 5th round selection.[11]
March 14: Philadelphia traded WR Torrey Smith to Carolina for CB Daryl Worley.[12]
March 15: San Francisco traded C Daniel Kilgore and a 2018 7th round selection (227th overall) to Miami in exchange for a 2018 7th round selection (223rd overall).[13]
March 15: Cleveland traded CB Jason McCourty and a 2018 7th round selection (219th overall) to New England for a 2018 sixth round selection (205th overall).[14]
March 18: Oakland traded WR Cordarrelle Patterson and a 2018 6th round selection (210th overall) to New England for a 2018 5th round selection (159th overall) .[15][16]
March 20: Oakland traded FB Jamize Olawale and a 2018 sixth round selection (192nd overall) to Dallas for a 2018 fifth round selection (173rd overall).[17]
March 22: The New York Giants traded DE Jason Pierre-Paul and their 2018 4th round selection (102nd overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2018 3rd round selection (69th overall) and a 2018 4th round selection (108th overall).[18]
March 23: Arizona traded T Jared Veldheer to Denver for a 2018 sixth round selection (182nd overall).[19]
March 28: Cleveland traded QB Cody Kessler to Jacksonville for a conditional 2019 7th round selection.[20]
March 29: Washington traded S Su'a Cravens, a 2018 4th round selection (113th overall), and a 2018 5th round selection (149th overall) to Denver in exchange for a 2018 4th round selection (109th overall), two 2018 5th round selections (142nd and 163rd overall), and a conditional 2020 selection.[21]
April 3: New England traded WR Brandin Cooks and a 2018 fourth round selection (136th overall) to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2018 first round selection (23rd overall) and a 2018 sixth round selection (198th overall).[22]
April 6: Cleveland traded QB Kevin Hogan and a 2018 6th round selection (205th overall) to Washington in exchange for a 2018 6th round selection (188th overall).[23]
April 26: Pittsburgh traded WR Martavis Bryant to Oakland for a 2018 3rd round selection (79th overall).[24][25]

text: Retirements[edit]

text:
Antonio Cromartie: The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro cornerback, who shares the league record for most yards gained on a play (109 on a missed field goal return) and led the league in interceptions 2008, announced his retirement after an 11-year career. Cromartie played for the then-San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts over the course of his career, before spending the entire 2017 season as an unsigned free agent.[26]
Matt Forte: The 32 year old running back retired after 10 years, 8 with the Chicago Bears and 2 with the New York Jets. He was elected to 2 Pro Bowls.[27]
Dwight Freeney: The 16-year veteran defensive end, who spent most of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, retired April 19. He appeared in seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro and led the NFL in sacks during the 2004 season.[28]
James Harrison: The 15-year NFL veteran linebacker, four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler who spent the peak of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers announced his retirement, at the age of 39, on April 16.[29]
Devin Hester: The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro return specialist holds the NFL record for most all-time return touchdowns (punt and kickoff combined) and most all-time punt return touchdowns.[30] He is widely regarded as one of the best return specialists in NFL history, and was the first person ever to return the opening kick of the Super Bowl back for a touchdown. Hester, who had spent 2017 out of football, played 11 seasons in the NFL, the majority of them with the Chicago Bears.[31][32][33]
Richie Incognito announced his retirement April 10. The retirement was part of a string of erratic behavior and inconsistent statements on Incognito's part, the only consistent thread being an ongoing contract dispute with his current team, the Buffalo Bills, who have listed him as retired on their roster. Incognito has appeared in four Pro Bowls over the course of a 12-season career with the Bills, Miami Dolphins and then-St. Louis Rams, with most of his success coming in Buffalo. He was released from his contract on May 21 and is free to sign with any team.
Nick Mangold: The seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro retired after 11 seasons, all with the New York Jets. He had spent the 2017 season out of football after the Jets released him in a salary cap maneuver.[34]
Carson Palmer: The 38 year old quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, who had previously played on the Cincinnati Bengals (who drafted Palmer first overall in 2003) and Oakland Raiders, retired after the 2017 season. The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner appeared in three Pro Bowls, was a second team All-Pro in 2015, and led the NFL in passing yards in 2005.[35][36]
Joe Thomas: The ten-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro offensive tackle retired after an 11-year career with the Cleveland Browns, a career in which he spent much of that time as the Browns' franchise player in an era where the team otherwise performed poorly on the field.[37] A deteriorating left knee contributed to Thomas's retirement.[38]
Jason Witten: The eleven time Pro Bowler and two time First-team All-Pro Tight end played 15 seasons, all with the Dallas Cowboys. He ranks second all time among tight ends in career receptions and receiving yards. He will be working for ESPN as their Monday Night Football color commentator.[39]

text: Other players

text:
Rodney Adams
Martellus Bennett[40]
Joe Berger[41]*
Emmett Cleary
C.J. Fiedorowicz
James Hanna
David Harris[42]
Gabe Ikard[43]
Fred Jackson[44]
Vincent Jackson[45]
Donnie Jones
Thad Lewis[46]
Luke McCown[47]
Kellen Moore[48]
Paul Posluszny[49]
Connor Shaw[50]
Devon Still[51]
Zach Strief
Aaron Williams[52]
Eric Wood[53]
Danny Woodhead[54]

text: Draft[edit]

text: The 2018 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 28. It was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This was the first draft to take place in an NFL stadium, and the first to be held in Texas.[55] The Cleveland Browns selected Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick.

text: Officiating changes[edit]

text:
Ed Hochuli: At the time of his retirement, Hochuli was the league's longest-tenured referee, having served with the league for 28 seasons, 26 as a head referee. He will be succeeded by his son, Shawn Hochuli.[56]
Jeff Triplette: Triplette had spent 22 years as an official with the NFL, 19 as a head referee, and was pushed into retirement after experiencing confusion in several games late in the 2017 season. Alex Kemp will replace Triplette.[56]

text: Rule changes[edit]

text: The following playing rule changes have been approved by the Competition Committee for the 2018 season:[57]

text:
Make permanent the current rule that changes the spot of the ball after a touchback on a kickoff to the 25 yard line. Prior to 2017, the ball was placed at the 20 yard line.
Update the standards for a "catch" to have:

Two feet down or any body part other than the hands
Control of the ball
Make a "football move" such as making a 3rd step, reaching/extending to the line to gain, tucking the ball away, warding off defensive players, or have the ability to perform such an act.

The rule for receivers who were going to the ground during the catch process has been deleted. This is in response to several issues regarding the "going to the ground" rule, especially catches by Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant in the 2014 NFL playoffs and one by Pittsburgh Steelers TE Jesse James in 2017 that were overturned due to this rule.

Allow a designated member of the officiating department (For 2018, NFL Senior VP of Officiating Al Riveron) to instruct game officials to eject any player who commits a flagrant non-football act on the field for a foul called on the field. This is in response to a situation where New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski intentionally inflicted a late hit on Buffalo Bills defensive back Tre'Davious White causing a concussion to White. Gronkowski was not ejected for the foul on the field, but did receive a one-game suspension after the NFL's review of the play.
Illegally batting a ball on a scrimmage down will incur a loss of down in addition to the previous 10 yard penalty.
In overtime, when a team is ahead by 3 points, a down will run to its conclusion and all applicable points will score, even if there is a loss of possession. Previously, the offense of the trailing team could not legally score if they lost and regained possession and reached the opponent's end zone all on the same play. The rule remains that if there is a double change of possession on a play with one team in the lead, it is the last play of the game.
If a team scores a touchdown on the final play of regulation which gives them the victory, no extra-point conversion try will be needed.[58]

text: The following bylaws and resolutions were passed:[59]

text:
Make permanent the liberalization of workout rules for draft prospects.
For a one-year trial period, liberalize the rules for re-signing a player on waivers.
Players on injured reserve can be traded.
Players with injuries deemed major can be placed directly on injured reserve without clearing waivers.
The 10-day postseason waiver claiming period has been reduced to 1 day.
Players can be activated from injured reserve after eight games instead of eight weeks.
Teams have seven business days to complete an injury settlement instead of five.
Players in certain reserve list categories cannot be reinstated after a team's week 13 game. This restriction was previously applied to the last 30 days of the regular season.
Clarify roster procedures for players with military obligations.
For a one-year trial period, teams may contact a player who has been publicly announced to be released before the NFL lists the transaction on a Player Personnel Notice.

text: The following changes to the kickoff rules were approved at the NFL Spring Owners' Meeting on May 23, 2018:[60]

text:
Players are required to line up for the kickoff as follows:

Five players on the kicking team must be on either side of the kicker
Two players on each side must be lined up outside of the numbers and two additional players on each side must be lined up between the numbers and the hashmarks
Players on the kicking team (excluding the kicker) may only line up within one yard of the kickoff spot (currently this is limited to five yards)
The receiving team must have eight players in a fifteen-yard "set-up zone" (from the restraining line ten yards from the kickoff spot, fifteen yards back)

Wedge blocks are outlawed. Players would only be able to do a double-team block within the "set-up zone".
Blocking is prohibited inside the restraining zone (10 yards from the kickoff spot) until the ball touches the ground or is touched in the field of play.
Once a kickoff lands in the end zone, it would become an automatic touchback. Players will no longer have to "kneel" in the end zone to stop the play.
All ejections of players are now subject to replay review.
It is now a foul (15 yards) for players to lower their helmet to initiate and make contact with an opposing player. The fouling player is subject to ejection if:

Player lowers his helmet to establish a linear body posture prior to initiating or making contact with the helmet
Player delivering the blow had an unobstructed path to his opponent
Contact was clearly avoidable (player delivering the blow had other options)

text: In response to the recent National Anthem protests in the league the past two seasons, any player or staff member who is on the field during the performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" must stand for the duration of the performance. Such players and staff members are not required to be on the field at that time and may wait in the locker room as an alternative. The NFL will not directly fine offending players or staff members for defying the rule, instead fining the teams, who will in turn have power to fine the players or staff members at their own discretion.

text: 2018 deaths[edit]

text: The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) have died in 2018.

text:
Grady Alderman
Tom Benson
Billy Cannon
Dwight Clark
Bennie Cunningham
Keith Fahnhorst
Jim Garrett
Chris Gedney
Wayne Huizenga
David Humm
Edwin Jackson
Chuck Knox
Jeremy Nunley
Kona Schwenke
Clyde Scott
Frank Varrichione

text: Preseason[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Training Camps for the 2018 season will be held in late July through August. Teams start training camp no earlier than 15 days before the team's first scheduled preseason game.

text: The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, which will feature the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears, will be played on Thursday, August 2;[61] it will be televised nationally by NBC. The Ravens, who will be making their first ever Hall of Fame Game appearance, are represented in the 2018 Hall of Fame class by former linebacker Ray Lewis, while the Bears are represented by former linebacker Brian Urlacher.

text: Regular season[edit]

text: The 2018 regular season's 256 games will be played over a 17-week schedule which will begin on September 6. Each of the league's 32 teams plays a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team. The slate also features games on Monday Nights. There are games played on Thursdays, including the National Football League Kickoff game in prime time on September 6 and games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season will conclude with a full slate games of 16 games on December 30, all of which will be intra-division matchups, as it has been since 2010.

text: Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition a team plays against all four teams in one other division from each conference. The final two games on a team's schedule are against the two team's in the team's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play which finished the previous season in the same rank in their division (e.g. the team which finished first in its division the previous season would play each other team in its conference that also finished first in its respective division). The preset division pairings for 2018 will be as follows.

text:
Intra-conference
AFC East vs AFC South
AFC West vs AFC North
NFC East vs NFC South
NFC West vs NFC North

   Inter-conference
AFC East vs NFC North
AFC North vs NFC South
AFC South vs NFC East
AFC West vs NFC West

text: The entire season schedule was released on April 19, 2018. Highlights of the 2018 season include:

text:
NFL Kickoff Game: The 2018 season will begin with the Kickoff Game on September 6 at 8:20 p.m. EDT. The game will feature the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons and will be televised on NBC.[62]
NFL International Series:

NFL London Games: Three games will be played in London in 2018. This will be the first season of a 10-year agreement to play at least one game per season at the new Tottenham Stadium, where the Oakland Raiders will host the Seattle Seahawks on October 14 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. BST) on Fox. Two more games will be played at Wembley Stadium, with the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Tennessee Titans on October 21 at 9:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. BST) on CBS and the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on October 28 at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. GMT) on NFLN. This will be the first time the London games will be played on three consecutive weeks, a move the league has taken to try to streamline their London operations.[63][64][65]
NFL Mexico Game: The NFL will play one game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in 2018, in accordance with an agreement the league announced in November 2017 to play one game at that venue each year through 2021. The game will feature the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. The game will be held on Monday, November 19, and will be televised on ESPN.[65]

Thanksgiving Day: As has been the case since 2006, three games will be played on November 22. The 12:30 p.m. EST game will feature Detroit Lions hosting the Chicago Bears on CBS. The 4:30 p.m. EST game will feature the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Washington Redskins on Fox. A third game, Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints starting at 8:30 p.m. EST, will be aired on NBC.
Christmas games: Christmas Day, December 25, falls on a Tuesday in 2018. Instead of moving the Monday Night from Christmas Eve, the game will be played at its normal time, marking only the second Monday Night game ever played on Christmas Eve. As is usually the case when a night game is played on Christmas Eve, the host team (the Oakland Raiders) is in the western United States, and thus the game will take place in the late afternoon local time.

text: Saturday flexible scheduling[edit]

text: When the entire season schedule was released on April 19, 2018, the league announced flexible scheduling for Saturday games in weeks 15 and 16. The final kickoff times for these games will be announced no later than week 8:[66]

text:
In week 15, either the Texans–Jets or the Browns–Broncos game will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. EST, while the other will start at 8:20 p.m. EST.
In week 16, two of the following four games will be moved to Saturday, December 22 on the NFL Network, with start times of 4:30 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. EST, while the other two will remain on Sunday: Ravens–Chargers, Jaguars–Dolphins, Giants–Colts, and Redskins–Titans. This is the first time that games will be rescheduled to a different day (excluding games rescheduled due to severe weather).

text: Postseason[edit]

text: The 2018 playoffs will begin on the weekend of January 5–6, 2019 with the Wild Card Playoff round the four winners of these playoff games will visit the top two seeds in each conference of the Divisional round games the weekend of January 12-13, 2019. The winners of those games will advance to the Conference championship games on January 20, 2019. The 2019 Pro Bowl will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 27, 2019. Super Bowl LIII will be held on February 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on CBS.

text: Head coaching and front office personnel changes[edit]

text: Head coaches[edit]

text: Offseason[edit]

text:
Team
2017 head coach
2018 replacement
Reason for leaving
Story/accomplishments

Arizona Cardinals
Bruce Arians
Steve Wilks
Retired
Arians retired from coaching following the 2017 season, finishing the season with a record of 8–8 (.500) and a cumulative record of 49–30–1 (.619) with two playoff appearances.[67] Wilks was hired on January 22, after serving as a defensive coach for the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and Carolina Panthers since 2006. Wilks' only previous head coaching experience was at Savannah State in 1999.[68]

Chicago Bears
John Fox
Matt Nagy
Fired
Fox was fired after the final game of the 2017 season, finishing the season with a record of 5–11 (.313) and a cumulative record of 14–34 (.292) with no playoff appearances.[69] Nagy spent the past five seasons as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs, the last two as offensive coordinator; the Bears hired Nagy on January 8 and this will be his first NFL head coaching job.[70]

Detroit Lions
Jim Caldwell
Matt Patricia
Caldwell was fired after the final game of the 2017 season, finishing the season with a record of 9–7 (.563) and a cumulative record of 36–28 (.563) with two playoff appearances, but having never won a playoff game as head coach of the Lions.[71] Patricia was hired on February 5, the day after losing Super Bowl LII as the New England Patriots defensive coordinator. He had spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots, starting in 2004 as an offensive assistant before working his way up to defensive coordinator in 2012, winning 3 Super Bowls. This will be his first head coaching job.[72]

Indianapolis Colts
Chuck Pagano
Frank Reich
Pagano was fired after the final game of the 2017 season, finishing the season with a record of 4–12 (.250), his first losing season as Colts' head coach, and a cumulative record of 53–43 (.552) with three playoff appearances.[73] The Colts signed Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who was previously a Colts' assistant from 2008–2011. This will be Reich's first head coaching job.[74]

New York Giants
Ben McAdoo
Pat Shurmur
McAdoo became the Giants' head coach in 2016, leading the Giants to a 13–15 (.464) record over parts of two seasons with one playoff appearance. After accruing a 2–10 (.167) record and benching starter Eli Manning during the season, he was fired on December 4, 2017, and replaced in the interim by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was previously the St. Louis Rams' head coach from 2009 to 2011.[75] Shurmur was announced as the Giants' new head coach on January 22. He had previously served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2011 to 2012, compiling a record of 9–23 (.281), and an offensive coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings since 2013.[76]

Oakland Raiders
Jack Del Rio
Jon Gruden
Del Rio was fired after the final game of the 2017 season, finishing the season with a record of 6–10 (.375) and a cumulative record of 25–23 (.521) with one playoff appearance.[77] Gruden, who previously coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001, confirmed on-air on January 6, that he would be returning to the team as coach. He had spent the previous nine seasons as an on-air analyst for Monday Night Football.[78]

Tennessee Titans
Mike Mularkey
Mike Vrabel
Mutual decision
Mularkey and the Titans agreed to part ways after they "couldn't come to an agreement over the future," two days after the Titans' playoff loss to the Patriots. Mularkey had a cumulative record of 20–21 (.488) with one playoff appearance in parts of three seasons with the Titans and guided Tennessee to back-to-back 9–7 records in his two years as the team's full-time head coach.[79] Vrabel spent the past three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Houston Texans, the last as defensive coordinator; the Titans hired Vrabel on January 20 and this will be his first NFL head coaching job.[80]

text: Front office personnel[edit]

text: Offseason[edit]

text:
Team
Position
2017 office holder
2017 interim
2018 replacement
Reason for leaving
Notes

Cleveland Browns
VP/GM
Sashi Brown
John Dorsey
Fired
Brown was fired on December 7, 2017. He had been the team's attorney since 2013 and de facto general manager since 2016.[81] Dorsey was named the new general manager hours later.[82]

Green Bay Packers
GM
Ted Thompson
Brian Gutekunst
Reassigned
Thompson, who had been the team's general manager since 2005, became the team's senior advisor to football operations.[83] Brian Gutekunst, who had been the team's director of player personnel since 2016, was promoted to become the team's new general manager on January 7.[84]

Houston Texans
GM
Rick Smith
Brian Gaine
Medical leave
Smith announced that he would take a leave of absence to care for his wife, who is battling breast cancer. He will remain Executive Vice President of Football Operations.[85] Former Buffalo Bills' vice president of player personnel, Brian Gaine, was named the new general manager on January 13, 2018. Previously, Gaine was Texans' director of pro personnel and then director of player personnel from 2014 to 2016.[86]

New York Giants
GM
Jerry Reese
Kevin Abrams
Dave Gettleman
Fired
Having been in the organization since 1994, Reese was the Giants' general manager since 2007, leading them to two Super Bowl championships and several years of success. He was fired on December 4 along with head coach Ben McAdoo. He was replaced in the interim by assistant general manager Kevin Abrams.[87] Dave Gettleman, previously general manager of the Carolina Panthers and a 14-year veteran of the Giants' front office (from 1999 to 2012), was hired on December 28, 2017.[88]

Buffalo Bills
President
Russ Brandon
Kim Pegula
Resigned
Brandon resigned his position on May 1, 2018. A newspaper report claimed that Brandon was the subject of an internal investigation regarding his personal conduct and workplace behavior, which neither the Bills nor Brandon mentioned in separate statements regarding his departure; Brandon stated he is seeking other opportunities after spending 20 years with the Bills franchise. He was immediately succeeded by co-owner Kim Pegula.[89]

text: Stadiums[edit]

text: Two teams, the Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders, are entering the final year of their lease agreements with their current stadium.

text: Carolina Panthers[edit]

text: On December 17, 2017, Jerry Richardson, the Panthers' founding owner, announced he was putting the team up for sale.[90][91] Richardson had previously indicated the team would be put up for sale after his death,[92] but Richardson was accused of paying hush money to cover up questionable conduct, including racial slurs and sexually suggestive requests of employees, hastening Richardson's decision.[93] The Panthers' lease on Bank of America Stadium expires after the 2018 season,[94] which would allow any incoming owner to relocate the team out of Charlotte, North Carolina, to another market if they so desired, only being liable for the remaining debt from stadium renovation. At an estimated $35 million, the debt payment would be a small expense compared to the relocation fee the NFL charged for the two teams that relocated in 2016 and 2017.[95] The two most likely candidates to buy the team as of May 2018 were David Tepper, a hedge fund manager with a higher net worth and a minority stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers but fewer ties to Charlotte; and Ben Navarro, a financial services CEO based in Charlotte who had the backing of Richardson's only living son.[96] Tepper was announced as the new owner on May 16, with the announcement coming in time for the league to vote on his bid at the owners meeting on May 19.[97]

text: Oakland Raiders[edit]

text: The Raiders, prior to the 2017 season, committed to relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada, once a new stadium is constructed for them in 2020. In 2016, the Raiders signed a three-year extension with the Oakland Coliseum.[98] The Raiders could choose to stay in the Oakland Coliseum for 2019 with another year-to-year extension or move to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, which is undersized but (because of the Los Angeles Chargers' use of the even smaller StubHub Center) would not be the smallest stadium in the NFL. Management at the Oakland Coliseum has indicated they are unwilling to extend their agreement with the Raiders after 2018, which could force the team to move to Sam Boyd Stadium in 2019.[99] In order to secure another season in Oakland, California, Coliseum management indicated in September 2017 that the Raiders would need to offer major concessions to compensate for the financial losses the Coliseum incurs by hosting Raiders games.[100]

text: Naming rights agreements[edit]

text: Denver Broncos[edit]

text: The Broncos hope to resolve the two-season long naming rights situation for the field at Mile High Stadium II by the start of the 2018 pre-season; in the meantime, all exterior and interior signage for the defunct sporting goods chain Sports Authority has been or is in the process of being removed from the stadium, though ticketed events will continue to print the name "Sports Authority Field at Mile High."[101][102]

text: Jacksonville Jaguars[edit]

text: On February 16, EverBank Field, the home field of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was renamed TIAA Bank Field, after TIAA's 2017 acquisition of EverBank. The naming rights agreement was for 10 years and $43 million.[103]

text: Uniforms[edit]

text: Color Rush discontinuation[edit]

text: The Color Rush program has been discontinued, and teams will no longer be required to wear the special uniforms for Thursday Night Football. Initial plans, which will be finalized at the league's owners meeting in May, are for teams to have the option to continue using the existing designs that were designed by Nike for the program as standard third jerseys. [104] [105]

text: Uniform changes[edit]

text: The Tennessee Titans introduced new uniforms on April 4. Most prominent among the changes is the helmet, which is changing from the white color the team had used since the 1970s (as the Houston Oilers) to navy blue. The color patterns are also simplified, with a new number typeface inspired both by Greek lettering and the shape of the state of Tennessee.[106]

text: On April 19, the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars both unveiled new uniforms. The Dolphins altered their jerseys to more take after their classic aqua-and-orange look, while Jacksonville simplified their uniforms to resemble their original teal blue jerseys used in their early years.[107][108]

text: Throwback uniforms[edit]

text: On May 23, the San Francisco 49ers unveiled a new all-white throwback uniform, that was worn back in 1994, the year the team won its most recent Super Bowl. The team also announced that they will wear them twice in 2018.

text: A week later, the Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled a throwback uniform, that was worn in the late 1970s. Team owner Art Rooney II, announced that the team will wear the uniforms for one game.

text: On June 15, the Chicago Bears brought back their orange alternate jerseys to replace the throwbacks worn from 2012 to last season. The team announced that the orange uniforms will be worn twice in 2018. The Bears previously wore the orange uniforms from 2004-2009, and again in 2011.

text: Patches[edit]

text: On April 9, the Green Bay Packers unveiled a patch to commemorate their 100th season[109]

text: Media[edit]

text: Broadcast rights[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: This will be the fifth year under the current broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This includes "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season (regardless of the conference of the visiting team). NBC will continue to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN will continue to air Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. CBS will broadcast Super Bowl LIII.

text: On January 31, the NFL announced that Fox had acquired the broadcast television rights to the Thursday Night Football package under a five-year deal (aligned with the remainder of the NFL's current broadcast contracts). Fox will air 11 games, along with the 2018 NFL Draft (the first time the event has ever aired on over-the-air television),[110] in simulcast with NFL Network,[111][112] with the remaining games in the package airing exclusively on NFL Network to satisfy its carriage contracts.[113] CBS and NBC had made bids to renew their previous contracts (CBS had held the rights since 2014, joined by NBC since 2016), but were reluctant to pay a higher rights fee due to the league's ratings downturn.[114]

text: Digital[edit]

text: After several years in which Verizon held exclusive rights to carry NFL Internet broadcasts on mobile devices 7 inches (18 cm) or less in size (opting to only make them available to its own wireless subscribers), the 2018 season will be the first in which any device will be allowed to access those broadcasts. Verizon will still hold rights to stream all nationally televised games, as well as in-market Sunday afternoon games; instead of only distributing them to its own subscribers, its numerous Internet brands (such as Yahoo!, which exclusively carried two International Series games in 2015 and 2017, along with AOL, go90, complex.com) will carry the games to all devices.[115]

text: On April 26, 2018, the league announced an extension with Amazon Video that will simulcast the eleven Thursday Night Football games that are simulcast on Fox to its Amazon Prime subscribers. The agreement, which increases Amazon's rights fee by 15%, is for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. To fulfill a request that the Internet broadcast be made available freely, the games will also be made available on twitch.tv, an Amazon subsidiary.[116]

text: Radio[edit]

text: Both of the NFL's national radio contracts, Westwood One for English language[117] and Entravision for Spanish language,[118] expired after the 2017 season. Westwood One's parent company Cumulus Media filed for bankruptcy in November 2017[119] and began terminating national broadcast contracts and sports agreements in January 2018,[120][121] putting any contract extensions on hold. The company emerged from bankruptcy on June 4, 2018.[122]

text: With the release of the 2018 schedule, NFL.com listed ESPN Deportes Radio (which had shared NFL rights with Entravision in 2017 and had carried Super Bowl LII[123]) as the league's national Spanish-language broadcaster. The national English-language broadcaster was still identified as Westwood One, although no press release has been issued in regard to a contract extension with that network.

text: Personnel changes[edit]

text: ESPN will introduce a fully new broadcast team for Monday Night Football. Joe Tessitore will replace Sean McDonough as lead play-by-play man; McDonough will remain with ESPN as a college football announcer.[124][125] With previous color analyst Jon Gruden returning to coaching, Monday Night Football will return to its traditional three-person booth, with Jason Witten and Booger McFarland joining the broadcast team as analysts, while Lisa Salters, the sideline reporter, carries over from the previous broadcast team.[126]

text: Fox initially had planned to hire a new broadcast team for its Thursday Night Football, making an overture to Peyton Manning to serve as color commentator. Since Manning declined the offer, the network announced that it will be placing its existing lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the package, while reducing the number of games the duo will call on Sundays.[127] A version of Fox NFL Sunday will serve as the lead-in to Thursday Night Football, albeit without Curt Menefee or Jimmy Johnson; the show will instead be hosted by panelist Michael Strahan from New York City, displacing Rich Eisen, the studio host for Thursday night pregame since the package's inception in 2006.[128] Strahan will be joined by fellow Fox colleagues Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long.

text: Start time changes[edit]

text: The start times for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday Night Football broadcasts will be moved up 5-15 minutes. Thursday and Sunday Night games will now kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET, while Monday Night games will now kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.[66]


document_title: True Grit (2010 film)

question_text: where did they film the new true grit

question_tokens: where did they film the new true grit

text: True Grit (2010 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Mattie Ross's father was murdered by Tom Chaney when she was 14 years old. While collecting her father's body in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Mattie asks the local sheriff about the search for Chaney. He tells her that Chaney has fled with "Lucky" Ned Pepper and his gang into Indian Territory, where the sheriff has no authority, so she inquires about hiring a Deputy U.S. Marshal. The sheriff gives three recommendations, and Mattie chooses Rooster Cogburn. Cogburn initially rebuffs her offer, not believing she has the money to hire him, but she raises the money by aggressively horse-trading with Colonel Stonehill.

text: Texas Ranger LaBoeuf arrives in town, pursuing Chaney for the murder of a Texas State Senator. LaBoeuf proposes joining Cogburn, but Mattie refuses his offer. She wishes Chaney to be hanged in Arkansas for her father's murder, not in Texas for killing the senator. Mattie also insists on traveling with Cogburn but he leaves without her, having gone with LaBoeuf to apprehend Chaney and split the reward.

text: After being refused passage on the ferry that conveyed Cogburn and LaBoeuf, Mattie crosses the river on horseback. LaBoeuf expresses his displeasure by birching Mattie with a stick, but Cogburn eventually allows Mattie to accompany them. After a dispute over their respective service with the Confederate States of America, Cogburn ends their arrangement and LaBoeuf leaves to pursue Chaney on his own. Cogburn and Mattie meet a trail doctor who directs them to an empty dugout for shelter. They find two outlaws, Quincy and Moon, and interrogate them. Quincy insists they have no information about the Pepper gang, but eventually Moon divulges what he knows; Quincy fatally stabs Moon, and Cogburn shoots Quincy dead. Before dying, Moon says Pepper and his gang will be returning for fresh horses that night.

text: LaBoeuf arrives at the dugout and is confronted by the Pepper gang. Cogburn, hiding on the hillside with Mattie, shoots two gang members and accidentally hits LaBoeuf, but Pepper escapes. However, Cogburn and LaBoeuf argue the next day, and the latter departs again. While retrieving water from a stream, Mattie encounters Chaney. She shoots him, but he survives and drags her back to Pepper, who forces Cogburn to leave by threatening to kill her. Pepper leaves Mattie alone with Chaney, ordering him not to harm her or he will not get paid after his remount arrives.

text: Chaney tries to knife Mattie, but LaBoeuf appears and knocks Chaney out. They watch from a distance as Cogburn fights the remaining members of Pepper's gang, killing two and wounding Ned before his horse is shot and falls, trapping his leg, whereupon LaBoeuf snipes Pepper. Chaney regains consciousness and knocks out LaBoeuf, but Mattie seizes LaBoeuf's rifle and shoots Chaney in the chest. The recoil knocks her into a deep pit, where she is bitten by a rattlesnake. Cogburn cuts into her hand to suck out as much of the venom as he can, then rides day and night to reach a doctor, carrying her on foot after her horse collapses from exhaustion.

text: Mattie's left forearm is amputated due to gangrene from the snakebite. Cogburn stays until she is out of danger, but leaves before she regains consciousness. She never sees Cogburn or LaBoeuf again, despite writing a letter inviting Cogburn to collect the money she owed him. Twenty-five years later, she receives a note from Cogburn inviting her to a travelling Wild West show where he now performs. She arrives, only to learn that he died three days earlier. She has his body moved to her family cemetery. Standing over Cogburn's grave, she reflects on her decision to move his remains, and about never having married, as well as the possibility of seeing LaBoeuf again.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Jeff Bridges as Deputy U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
Matt Damon as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf
Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney
Barry Pepper as Ned "Lucky" Pepper
Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross
Domhnall Gleeson as Moon (the Kid)
Bruce Green as Harold Parmalee
Ed Lee Corbin as Bear Man (Dr. Forrester)
Roy Lee Jones as Yarnell Poindexter
Paul Rae as Emmett Quincy
Nicholas Sadler as Sullivan
Dakin Matthews as Colonel Stonehill
Elizabeth Marvel and Ruth Morris as 40-year-old Mattie[5]
Leon Russom as Sheriff
Jake Walker as Judge Isaac Parker
Don Pirl as Cole Younger
James Brolin as Frank James (uncredited cameo)
Jarlath Conroy as the Undertaker
J. K. Simmons as Lawyer J. Noble Daggett (voice only; uncredited)

text: Adaptation and production[edit]

text: The project was rumored as far back as February 2008;[6] however it was not confirmed until March 2009.[7]

text: Ahead of shooting, Ethan Coen said that the film would be a more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1969 version.

text:
“
It's partly a question of point-of-view. The book is entirely in the voice of the 14-year-old girl. That sort of tips the feeling of it over a certain way. I think [the book is] much funnier than the movie was so I think, unfortunately, they lost a lot of humor in both the situations and in her voice. It also ends differently than the movie did. You see the main character – the little girl – 25 years later when she's an adult. Another way in which it's a little bit different from the movie – and maybe this is just because of the time the movie was made – is that it's a lot tougher and more violent than the movie reflects. Which is part of what's interesting about it.[8]
”

text: Mattie Ross "is a pill", said Ethan Coen in a December 2010 interview, "but there is something deeply admirable about her in the book that we were drawn to", including the Presbyterian-Protestant ethic so strongly imbued in a 14-year-old girl. Joel Coen said that the brothers did not want to "mess around with what we thought was a very compelling story and character". The film's producer, Scott Rudin, said that the Coens had taken a "formal, reverent approach" to the Western genre, with its emphasis on adventure and quest. "The patois of the characters, the love of language that permeates the whole film, makes it very much of a piece with their other films, but it is the least ironic in many regards".[9]

text: Nevertheless, there are subtle ways in which the film adaptation differs from the original novel. This is particularly evident in the negotiation scene between Mattie and her father's undertaker. In the film, Mattie bargains over her father's casket and proceeds to spend the night among the corpses to avoid paying for the boardinghouse. This scene is, in fact, nonexistent in the novel, where Mattie is depicted as refusing to bargain over her father's body, and never entertains the thought of sleeping among the corpses.[10]

text: Open casting sessions were held in Texas in November 2009 for the role of Mattie Ross. The following month, Paramount Pictures announced a casting search for a 12- to 16-year-old girl, describing the character as a "simple, tough as nails young woman" whose "unusually steely nerves and straightforward manner are often surprising".[11] Steinfeld, then age 13, was selected for the role from a pool of 15,000 applicants. "It was, as you can probably imagine, the source of a lot of anxiety", Ethan Coen told The New York Times. "We were aware if the kid doesn't work, there's no movie".[9]

text: The film was shot in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area in March and April 2010, as well as in Granger and Austin, Texas.[12][13] The first trailer was released in September; a second trailer premiered with The Social Network.

text: True Grit received a PG-13 rating for "some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images". It was the first Coen brothers film to receive such a rating since 2003's Intolerable Cruelty.

text: For the final segment of the film, a one-armed body double was needed for Elizabeth Marvel (who played the adult Mattie). After a nationwide call, the Coen brothers cast Ruth Morris – a 29-year-old social worker and student who was born without a left forearm.[5] Morris has more screen time in the film than Marvel.[14]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: Release[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text:
Film
Release date
Box office revenue
Box office ranking
Budget
Reference

North America
North America
Other territories
Worldwide
All time United States
All time worldwide

True Grit
December 22, 2010
$171,050,328
$79,880,786
$250,931,114
No. 168
No. 327
$38,000,000
[15]

text: In the holiday weekend following its December 22 North American debut, True Grit took in $25.6 million at the box office, twice its pre-release projections.[1] By its second weekend ending January 2, the film had earned $87.1 million domestically, becoming the Coen brothers' highest-grossing film, surpassing No Country for Old Men, which earned $74.3 million. True Grit was the only mainstream movie of the 2010 holiday season to exceed the revenue expectations of its producers. Based on that performance, The Los Angeles Times predicted that the film would likely become the second-highest grossing western of all time when inflation is discounted, exceeded only by Dances with Wolves.[16] On Thursday, December 23, 2010, it opened to #3 behind Little Fockers and Tron: Legacy. On Friday, December 24, 2010, it went up to #2 behind Little Fockers. On Friday, December 31, 2010 it went up to #1 and then on January 1, 2011, it went back to #2 until January 3, 2011. It stayed #1 until January 14 and then went down to #3 behind The Green Hornet and The Dilemma. On February 11, 2011, it went down to #9 behind Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Just Go With It, Gnomeo and Juliet, The Eagle, The Roommate, The King's Speech, No Strings Attached, and Sanctum. It closed in theaters on April 28, 2011. True Grit took in an additional $15 million in what is usually a slow month for movie attendance, reaching $110 million.[17] According to Box Office Mojo, True Grit has grossed over $170 million domestically and $250 million worldwide as of July 2011.

text: Both the brothers and Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore attributed the film's success partly to its "soft" PG-13 rating, atypical for a Coen brothers film, which helped broaden audience appeal. Paramount anticipated that the film would be popular with the adults who often constitute the Coen brothers' core audience, as well as fans of the Western genre. But True Grit also drew extended families: parents, grandparents, and teenagers. Geographically, the film played strongest in Los Angeles and New York, but its top 20 markets also included Oklahoma City; Plano, Texas; and Olathe, Kansas.[16][18]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: True Grit received critical acclaim. Roger Ebert awarded 3.5 stars out of 4, writing, "What strikes me is that I'm describing the story and the film as if it were simply, if admirably, a good Western. That's a surprise to me, because this is a film by the Coen Brothers, and this is the first straight genre exercise in their career. It's a loving one. Their craftsmanship is a wonder", and also remarking, "The cinematography by Roger Deakins reminds us of the glory that was, and can still be, the Western."[19]

text: The Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "The Coens, not known for softening anything, have restored the original's bleak, elegiac conclusion and as writer-directors have come up with a version that shares events with the first film but is much closer in tone to the book... Clearly recognizing a kindred spirit in Portis, sharing his love for eccentric characters and odd language, they worked hard, and successfully, at serving the buoyant novel as well as being true to their own black comic brio."[20]

text: In his review for the Minneapolis Star Tribune Colin Covert wrote: "the Coens dial down the eccentricity and deliver their first classically made, audience-pleasing genre picture. The results are masterful."[21] Richard Corliss of Time named Hailee Steinfeld's performance one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of 2010, saying "She delivers the orotund dialogue as if it were the easiest vernacular, stares down bad guys, wins hearts. That's a true gift".[22]

text: Rex Reed of The New York Observer criticized the film's pacing, referring to plot points as "mere distractions ... to divert attention from the fact that nothing is going on elsewhere". Reed considers Damon "hopelessly miscast" and finds Bridges' performance mumbly, lumbering, and self-indulgent.[23] Entertainment Weekly gave the movie a B+: "Truer than the John Wayne showpiece and less gritty than the book, this True Grit is just tasty enough to leave movie lovers hungry for a missing spice."[24]

text: The US Conference of Catholic Bishops review called the film "exceptionally fine" and said "[a]mid its archetypical characters, mythic atmosphere and amusingly idiosyncratic dialogue, writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen's captivating drama uses its heroine's sensitive perspective – as well as a fair number of biblical and religious references – to reflect seriously on the violent undertow of frontier life."[25]

text: Rotten Tomatoes reported that 96% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 263 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10 and with its consensus stating: "Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book."[26] Metacritic gave the film an average score of 80/100 based on 41 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27] Total Film gave the film a five-star review (denoting 'outstanding'): "This isn't so much a remake as a masterly re-creation. Not only does it have the drop on the 1969 version, it's the first great movie of 2011".[28]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: The film won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer (Hailee Steinfeld) and received ten additional nominations in the following categories: Best Film, Best Actor (Jeff Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Steinfeld), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Best Score. The ceremony took place on January 14, 2011.[29]

text: It was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bridges) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Steinfeld). The ceremony took place on January 30, 2011.[30]

text: It was nominated for eight British Academy Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bridges), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Steinfeld), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design. Roger Deakins won the award for Best Cinematography.

text: It was nominated for ten Academy Awards,[31][32] but won none: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Steinfeld), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.[33] When told of all the nominations, the Coen brothers stated, "Ten seems like an awful lot. We don't want to take anyone else's."[34]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 7, 2011.[35]