The mann act, passed in 1910, stipulates litigation as it applies to the transportation of minors or adults with the intent to engage in any i n illicit sexual activities. Enforcement of the mann act in the 1910s focused on categories of illicit sex with the bureau of investigation looking into cases of pedophilia, sex between men. Americans encountered a nearconstant stream of stories of sex slavery in the earlytwentieth century, as white slavery provided rich material for the imaginations of playwrights, filmmakers, and journalists. They are representative of a larger collection of reformistinspired statutes that also includes the morrill. 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. The mann act and the making of the fbi by jessica r. Leavenworth penitentiary mug shots national archives. 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. The mann act made it illegal to transport any woman or girl across state lines for any immoral purpose. Both congressmen sponsored and created legislation about interstate trade which would go on to be signed into law. Federalism, the mann act, and the imperative to decriminalize prostitution michael conantt i.
The act was named after its sponsor, james mann, who introduced the act because prosecutors in chicago believed that pimps were forcing girls into prostitution. The mann act, gender, and class in the american west, 19101930s. After world war ii, prostitution remained prohibited in most western countries, though it was. 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. This is the criminal case in which john arthur johnson, otherwise known as jack johnson, was convicted by a jury for violating the 1910 mann act. That this act shall be known and referred to as the whiteslave traffic act.
Human trafficking and the evolution of the mann act. Human trafficking awareness training 101 for healthcare. 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. Enacted in 1910 and named for its sponsor, representative james r. What is the history of judicial interpretation of the 1910. 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. However, the act did not explicitly protect minors from slaverylike practices until it was amended in 1978 and again in 1986 and 1994. Despite what progressives alleged, taft supported the same bills roosevelt would have. The mann act is an old piece of federal legislation that still exists today, though seldom ever enforced. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled. The mann act proved confusing to the procedurally driven bureau, especially the inclusion of the term white slavery and an expansive clause. 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. Study 92 terms apush dbq 18901920 flashcards quizlet. Human trafficking law and policy bridgette carr clinical professor of law director human traff.
Since the passage of the mann act of 1910, the united states has taken a stand against transporting persons adult or minor across state or international lines for the purposes of commercial sex polaris project, 20. Fbi investigative files, court cases, and popular media, his work argues that the. The constitutionality of the mann act has been upheld by the u. 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. Adobe acrobat reader dc software is the free global standard for reliably viewing, printing, and commenting on pdf documents. Source document contributed to documentcloud by lisa riordan seville. The right to travel of an individual is not curtailed by the mann act. 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. Modern times web site at and click on chapter overviews chapter 5 to. The purpose of the act was to combat prostitution, immorality, and human trafficking. The whiteslave traffic act, also called the mann act, is a united states federal law, passed june 25, 1910 it is named after congressman james robert mann. Definition and summary of the mannelkins act summary and definition.
Assessing the scope and availability of services for human. Burns petitioned for a presidential pardon in 2004 posthumously. In 19, the supreme court ruled that congress had intended this to include. The mann act also includes coercion and enticement as they apply to prostitution or any criminal activity. Apush exam unit ix notable legislation flashcards quizlet. The 1910 mannelkins act was a federal law passed during the progressive movement that extended the 1887 interstate commerce act and the authority of the interstate commerce commission icc to set railroad rates and regulate the telecommunications industry. The mann act makes it a felony to knowingly transport an individual who has not attained the age of 18 years in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any territory or possession of the united states, with intent that such. Ten years of sex trafficking cases in the united states.
The court upheld the constitutionality of the mann act in hoke v. Congress passes the white slave traffic act, june 25, 1910. A specific law designed to address a specific issue during a specific period of history, many commentators argue that the mann act has now run its course. The mann act of 1910, also known as the white slave traffic act. Full text of the mann act 1910 see other formats the mann act 1910, 36 stats. Passed in 1910, the mann acts purpose was to criminalize the transporting of a. Class 31 white slave traffic act the mann act, 1910 prohibited transportation of women in interstateforeign commerce for purposes of prostitution, debauchery, immoral acts records dates.
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. Also known as the white slave traffic act of 1910, the mann act is a federal statute that addresses the interstate and foreign transportation of. Its the only pdf viewer that can open and interact with all types of pdf content, including. It was created in reaction to a time in which urban. Newlands reclamation act 1902 john muir sierra club hetch hetchy controversy panic of 1907 payne aldrich tariff 1909 new freedom clayton anti trust act 1914 federal reserve act glass owen bill 19 federal trade commission ftc mann. Mannelkins act 1910 authorizes icc suspend new railroad rates and oversee telephone, telegraph and cable companies. The mann act, named for us representative james mann, is also called the white slave traffic act of 1910. 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. The mann elkins act of 1910 was signed into law in june of 1910 by president william howard taft. By 1915 nearly all states had passed laws that banned brothels or regulated the profits of prostitution. While making his documentary unforgiveable blackness, filmmaker ken burns concluded that johnson was wrongly convicted due to racial tensions of the time. The act prohibited interstate transportation of woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose. Mann act synonyms, mann act pronunciation, mann act translation, english dictionary definition of mann act.
And now, its connected to the adobe document cloud. The mannelkins act was a 1910 united states federal law that was among the progressive era reforms. Senator john mccain is leading a campaign to pardon. Mannelkins act signed by taft in 1910, the act enhanced the iccs powers to regulate railroad rates and supported labor reforms including an eighthour workday and mine safety laws. The mann act is used by the federal bureau of investigation to curtail commercialized immoral sexual activity.
The act got its name from congressmen stephen benton elkins and james robert mann. Johnson, a famous african american boxer, was charged with providing belle schreiber, a known prostitute, with money to purchase a train ticket from pittsburgh to chicago for immoral purposes. Vice crimes and preventive justice rutgers law school. Mann act definition of mann act by the free dictionary. The bureau actively investigated mann act violations from 1910 to 1941. The womens christian temperance union and the mann act of 1910. On what grounds, people argued, should prostitution become a federal crime. 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, commonly called the white slave traffic act, was enacted in 1910 to fi ght against forced prostitution as required by the thirteenth amendment to the u. By 1915 nearly all states had passed laws that banned brothels or. 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 fbi, sexual predators and the mann act notches.
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