Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A specific law designed to address a specific issue during a specific period of history, many commentators argue that. But just what is the mann act, and why is it still making headlines. Chaplin was charged with violating the 1910 white slave traffic act, or the mann act, aimed at combatting forced prostitution and debauchery. Mann act immoral, prostitution, sexual, and criminal jrank articles. Press act 1910 complete act citation 4062 bare act. The mann act 1910 prevented the transportation of white females, not black females, across state lines for. The long, colorful history of the mann act federal prosecutors might charge eliot spitzer under a relatively obscure 1910 law that was originally intended to combat forced prostitution. A chicago lawyer, he held many local offices before serving 18971922 as a republican member of the u. An act to further regulate interstate and foreign commerce by prohibiting the transportation therein for immoral purposes of women and girls, and for other purposes.
The 1910 mann act offered sex workers and police a tool to use against abusive and violent johns like harry barnett because it outlawed the transport, or inducement of transport, over state lines of women and girls for the purposes of. The whiteslave traffic act, or the mann act, is a united states federal law, passed june 25, 1910 ch. The constitutionality of the mann act has been upheld by the u. Mann act legal definition of mann act legal dictionary the free. Passed in 1910, the mann act s purpose was to criminalize the transporting of a. The mann act made it a crime to transport women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or.
The first law that touched on human trafficking was the mann act of 1910, or the white slave trafficking act. Pdf sex slavery and sex trafficking of women in the united. Crossing over the line describes the folly of the mann act of 1910a united states law which made travel from one state to another by a man and a woman with the intent of committing an immoral act a major crime. Congress passes mann act, aimed at curbing sex trafficking. Passed in 1910, the mann acts purpose was to criminalize the transporting of a. The text of the mann act as it was written back in 1910 was very broad, making it a crime for. Passed in 1910 to protect women and girls from forced prostitution and sex trafficking, the federal. Although there are many books about the federal bureau of investigation, there are few about the whiteslave act, a federal law passed in 1910 to fight the transportation of women for immoral purposes.
Frustrated, local police contacted the federal bureau of investigation to urge prosecution under the mann act. The mann elkins act of 1910 was signed into law in june of 1910 by president william howard taft. Department of justice began investigating jack johnson for possible violations of the mann act almost from the moment the law went into effect in 1910, but prosecutors did not find an. Human trafficking and the evolution of the mann act. An amendment in 1917 broadened the scope of the law to include any noncommercial immoral acts. The raccolta or collection of indulgenced prayers and good. Mann act article about mann act by the free dictionary. Congress passes the mann act, also known as the white slave traffic act, which was ostensibly aimed at keeping. In 1910, the mann act made it a felony to take a woman across state lines for immoral purposes.
Prostitutes, feminists, and the war on white slavery pdf. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled. Whiteslave traffic act legal definition of whiteslave. The mann act, or the white slave traffic act, made it a felony to transport women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose. The bureau actively investigated mann act violations from 1910 to 1941. Spawned by a national wave of white slave trade hysteria, the act was created by the congress of the united states as a weapon against forced prostitution. Source document contributed to documentcloud by lisa riordan seville. The act got its name from congressmen stephen benton elkins and james robert mann. The white slave traffic act of 1910 was enacted to criminalize the transportation of women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose. The mann act is a federal law that was enacted in 1910 in order to address the issue of white women being forced into prostitution. Sex, marriage, and state surveillance of the intimate in. Americas first antisex trafficking law, the 1910 mann act, made it illegal to transport women over state lines for prostitution or any other immoral purpose. It is named after congressman james robert mann of illinois in its original form the act made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or.
Freedom of movement under united states law wikipedia. That this act shall be known and referred to as the whiteslave traffic act. The mann act brigid potter, donelle brown elizabeth palacios, ellie contreras the original introduction introduction the whiteslave traffic act, better known as the mann act, is a united states federal law, passed june 25, 1910 ch. Introduction the mann act of 1910 makes it a felony knowingly to transport women or girls in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution, debauchery, or any other immoral purpose. Women could become free, for the first time in american history, from the. The mann act is an old piece of federal legislation that still exists today, though seldom ever enforced. Mann act synonyms, mann act pronunciation, mann act translation, english dictionary definition of mann act. Whoever knowingly transports any individual in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any territory or possession of the united states, with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
What is the mann act and is it still used by law enforcement. Freedom of movement under united states law is governed primarily by the privileges and immunities clause of the united states constitution which states. Whereas in 1910, congress passed the act of june 25, 1910. Full text of the mann act 1910 see other formats the mann act 1910, 36 stats. Although this federal law was ostensibly aimed at ending forced prostitution, it quickly became a way of regulating sexuality. The right to travel of an individual is not curtailed by the mann act. Congress passes the white slave traffic act, june 25, 1910. Within days, the federal grand jury had issued seven mann act indictments, charging johnson with transporting schreiber from pittsburgh to chicago on october 15, 1910, for the purpose of. Apush exam unit ix notable legislation flashcards quizlet. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america. In the united states, prostitution was at best sporadically controlled until passage of the federal mann act 1910, which prohibited interstate transportation of women for immoral purposes.
One npr article broke down the history of the mann act originally entitled the white slave traffic act, noting the act was designed to combat forced prostitution. Anyone transporting or aiding the transportation of a woman in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose, or with the intent and purpose to induce, entice, or compel such woman or girl to such. It was meant to protect women and girls from being seduced or sold into sexual slavery. The mann act is also known as the white slave traffic act. United states, the supreme court held that the mann act did not unconstitutionally limit the right of free travel. The court held that the gunfree school zones act of 1990 exceeded the power.
The mann act is used by the federal bureau of investigation to curtail commercialized immoral sexual activity. Mann act definition of mann act by the free dictionary. The law, along with the hepburn act of 1906, greatly strengthened the responsibilities, and authority, of the interstate commerce commission to include the regulation of telephone, telegraph, and cable companies as well as railroad companies. From 1910 to 19, city after city changed previously tolerant approaches. The whiteslave traffic act, or the mann act, is a united states federal law, passed june 25. Both congressmen sponsored and created legislation about interstate. Free speech zones prevent a person from having complete mobility as a. After world war ii, prostitution remained prohibited in most western countries, though it was.
On this day in 1910, congress passed the white slave traffic act, which for many decades gave federal prosecutors a way to criminalize consensual sexual activity. The mann act, named for us representative james mann, is also called the white slave traffic act of 1910. The mann act of 1910 makes it a felony knowingly to transport women. Congress passes the mann act, also known as the white slave traffic act, which was ostensibly aimed at keeping innocent girls from being lured into. Jack johnson pardoned for violation of mann act in 19. The mannelkins act was a 1910 united states federal law that was among the progressive era reforms. Us history of sexual exploitation of children news. Enacted in 1910 and named for its sponsor, representative james r. Federalism, the mann act, and the imperative to decriminalize prostitution michael conantt i.
The mann act, gender, and class in the american west, 19101930s. Known as the mann act, after its author, it passed three. The mann act makes it illegal to transport a person into or out of a state, territory, or any possessed land of the united states for the purpose of immoral sex or prostitution. Claiming victims explores the relationship between law and society through an examination of the mann white slave act. The fbi, sexual predators and the mann act notches. The mann act is a federal statute that prohibits interstate or foreign transportation of an individual with the intention of engaging such individual in sexual activity or prostitution. Based on nearly 1,000 mann act cases from 1910 to 1941 and a wealth of. Department of justice began investigating johnson for violations of the mann act soon after it became law in 1910. What is the history of judicial interpretation of the 1910. It was created in reaction to a time in which urban. Langum the white slave traffic act 1 of 1910 36 stat.
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