Prohibition and the Mafia Essay - 740 Words

The prohibition caused much controversy in the 1920’s. The 18th amendment was passed on Jan 16, 1920, it said in Title II, Section 3 the National Prohibition Act states that No person shall on or after the date when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States goes into effect, manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor except as authorized in this act. (United States constitution). The Prohibition opened up many big business opportunities in the illegal marketing of alcohol. The people who took advantage of this opportunity were known as â€Å"Bootleggers†. With the enactment of this law organized crime was established, allowing men such as Al Capone to capitalize†¦show more content†¦With everyone wanting and buying alcohol it increased the demand for it, which is when organized crime started. Once the organized crime families were established they were the main contributors to the illegal â€Å"Bootlegging† of alcohol. During the 20’s there was a great deal of violent crimes. Most of them could be connected back to the organized crime families. Alphonse Gabriel â€Å"Al† Capone was a gangster who led illegal activities such as the smuggling and the bootlegging of alcohol during the prohibition. Even though he had a tough exterior he was a caring man he was the first to open up a soup kitchen in Chicago (hammer). Capone’s estimated annual revenue was around 100 million dollars. He had many men working for him such as Frank Nitti, August Pisano and Louis Morganno. He supplied Chicago with most of its alcohol. (Capone: the man and his era). Capone was said to be involved with many violent crimes, as the same with many of the men who could be classified as organized crime gangsters. With t the lack of evidence and the numerous amount of people that Capone had paid off the police were never able to charge him with any of numerous amounts of crimes. One of the most well known killings that Capone was said to be involved with was the ST. Valentines Day massacre. Capone’s men enter a competitors garage dressed as policemen and killed 6 other gangster. There were few occasions where he was arrested but was released due to lack of evidence. The 1927Show MoreRelatedThe Mafia of the Prohibition Era1896 Words   |  8 PagesAlthough the Mafia is most associated with the Prohibition era of the 1920’s when it dominated crime in all major US cities, the true beginnings of the most infamous criminal organization started quite earlier. Beginning in the late 1800s, many Italians immigrated to New York City due to contin ued rumors of success in the area. This trend continued out of the 19th century and into the 20th as over 500,000 Italians immigrated to the United States (Sifakis). As Italian citizens migrated to the citiesRead MoreThe Chicago Mafia During The Prohibition Era1236 Words   |  5 Pagesas the leader of the Chicago mafia during the Prohibition era. Before being sent to Alcatraz Prison in 1931 from a tax evasion conviction, he had amassed a personal fortune estimated at $100 million and was responsible for countless murders† (Biography.com Editors, 2015). Most organized crime syndicates had police officers, federal officers and public officials in their pocket offering them more money than most would make in a year working for the city. The prohibition was very weakly enforced, andRead MoreThe Street Empire916 Words   |  4 Pagesbecame common, and many people would purchase bootlegged alcohol through illegal manners. 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The days of Al Capone comes to mind more then any other organized criminal. This gave a perception as to what organized crime consists of and this is how viewed. The alien conspiracy theory posits that organized crime (the Mafia) gained prominence during the 1860s in Sicily and that Sicilian immigrants are responsible for the foundations of U.S. organized crimeRead MoreProhibition and Repeal 18th 21st Amendments766 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish III Honors Period 4 Prohibition Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment. It prohibited the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages. People would have never thought of excoriating alcohol until the 19th century (Tyrrell 16). During this time widespread crime and dismay arose. Some beneficial things did come out of this period of chaos such as women were able to prove themselves as people their temperance movements. 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