White slavery is a Progressive Era term used to loosely describe the trapping, transporting, and supplying of women and children for the purposes of sexual slavery. Many women who were part of white slavery were forced into this profession against their will. These women and children became enslaved to prostitution and transported throughout the United States and abroad. Efforts to control white slavery were seen as early as 1870 in the United States, but little was done to enforce them. No truly significant legislation or enforcement was passed until the early 20th century. White slavery sparked fear among women in the United States. Stories have circulated in the media about women and girls being kidnapped and brought to the United States and forced into prostitution. In the United States in the early 20th century, progressives believed in denouncing and eradicating white slavery. In 1910, the passage of the Mann Act was initiated in an effort to prevent the transportation of women for immoral purposes. The early 20th century in the United States of America witnessed major political, economic, and social changes. From the 1900s to the 1920s, the population increased in the majority of the nation's large urban cities. Business was booming, as was immigration. People from all over the world have attempted to move to the United States in hopes of finding a well-paying job. Fear has spread among citizens of the United States due to the increasing number of immigrants. One particular group that was prejudicially feared was people of Asian descent. For women in the United States, the early 20th century can be considered an exciting, changing, and progressive time. American culture was... middle of paper ...prostitutes rarely served Asian men and interracial marriage was banned in many states (CA?) (191) Japanese women became the change project of American reformers . By 1900, American reformers and governments were taking a closer interest in the white slave movement. Much of the white slavery legislation was crafted with major cities on the East Coast in mind, but those in the West were included in these life-saving reforms. Reform groups included those in religion, feminism, and public health. Through white slavery, various groups were united, which traditionally operated independently of each other. These reform movements against white slavery occurred at the height of immigration, creating additional efforts to help protect immigrant women in big cities from the trap of sex work. In turn, native-born white Americans associated white slavery with immigration.. (204).