Crossing Over the Line by David J Langum

Crossing Over the Line by David J Langum

This work describes the folly of the Mann Act of 1910 - a 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. 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. This book provides a history of the Mann Act's often bizarre career, from its passage to the amendment that finally laid it low. Langum recounts the colourful details of numerous court cases to show how enforcement of the Act mirrored changes in America's social attitudes. He shows how federal prosecutors became masters in the selective use of the Act: against political opponents of the government, like Charlie Chaplin; against individuals who eluded other criminal charges, like the Capone mobster "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn; and against black men, like singer Chuck Berry and boxer Jack Johnson, who dared to consort with white women. In addition, the Act engendered a thriving blackmail industry and was used by women like Frank Lloyd Wright's wife to extort favourable divorce settlements.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780226468808
ISBN 10	0226468801
Titel	Crossing Over the Line
Autor	David J Langum
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Verlag	University Of Chicago Press
Erscheinungsjahr	1994-12-12
Seitenanzahl	324
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar