ROOSEVELT, Theodore (1858-1919). Typed letter signed ("Theodore Roosevelt"). New York, 25 July 1911.

One page, 7 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. Toning, separation to central horizontal crease. On "The Outlook....Office of Theodore Roosevelt" letterhead. With edits in Roosevelt's hand.

In this letter written to Reverend John P. Peters of Lakeside, NJ, Roosevelt writes about their apparently shared concern about the issue he refers to as "white slavery." In part: "In Chicago I am informed that it is absolutely impossible to get anything like adequate sentences imposed upon the infamous creatures engaged in the White Slave traffic, because the juries do not take a sufficiently serious view of the character of their offence; but I am also informed that they are steadily becoming more sensitive to the iniquity." Roosevelt also admits that while he agrees with the Reverend's recommendation to appoint a National Commission, he is not yet ready to commit it.

The term "white slavery" was used in the early twentieth century to describe the practice of trafficking women and girls for "immoral purposes," as defined in the Mann Act of 1910. It was alleged that immigrant women were being transported to America and forced into sexual slavery, and that immigrant men were luring American women and girls into prostitution. The perceived pervasiveness of the issue led to public outrage, which resulted in the Mann Act. That legislation has been widely criticized, however, for its vagueness and racist undertones.

Property from the Augustana Collection