Bootleggers In The 1920's

The 1920’s was an era filled with new changes and inventions, cultural developments and numerous political conflicts. In January of 1920, the 18th amendment placed a ban on the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol. Organized crime was already present, but the Prohibition Era drastically increased its activity. The closure of all alcohol related companies was the main reason behind increased unemployment ; diligent Americans suddenly were drinking a banned substance. During these tough times, families turned to crime in order to make fast money. The 18th amendment was supposed to eliminate the “evil” in human society, but in reality crime increased and led to a major downfall in society. Organized Crime in the 1920s paved the way

What happened in the 1920s when the 18th amendment was passed? The 18th amendment banned the production, sale, transportation, exportation, importation and consumption of alcohol. This law gave a rare chance to start a business that caused the rise of organized crime. The Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra (Our Thing), or the Mob, is the name of several clandestine organizations in Sicily and the United States. Before the 1920s the mafia’s main focus was on gambling, theft, and prostitution in order to make a profit, but when the Volstead act passed it increased their profits even more because all mafia organizations started a black market for bootlegging the outlawed alcohol and they also created speakeasies which was where they sold

As Americans, the citizens of the United States take a deep pride in our freedoms of a democracy. Throughout the history of this great nation, the inhabitants of the United States of America have taken to arms, protested and revolted against enemies; and even each other. One such paramount of history that sets the United States of America apart from that of other countries are the documents known as the Constitution of the United States of America. The aforementioned documents are the backbone of American law and justice; both ensuring a law by which all citizens are bound to, as well as, ensuring the freedoms of those same citizens. With regards to social issues that portray a side of both that pro and con, a singular amendment comes to mind:

Temporary fun with lifelong consequences; alcohol. In 1919 the 18th amendment was ratified, this amendment declared it illegal to manufacture, transport and sell alcoholic beverages. America repealed Prohibition due to the crime rate increasing, failure of enforcement and no money being made off of alcohol.

Bootlegging started in the 1920’s in the U.S. history by doing illegal traffic in such as liquor in “violation of legislative restrictions on it manufacture, sale, or transportation.” The word “bootlegging” started in the Midwest around the 1800’s mainly to practice of concealing flasks of illicit liquor in boot tops when trading with the Indians. The word became part of the American “Eighteenth Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution effected the “National prohibition of alcohol” but it also repeal in 1933.

By 1932, Americans had reversed the approval and disapproval making the disapproval rating had gone higher. Americans disapproved the prohibition because the criminality and murder went up, business’ were going down and it was impossible to enforce no alcohol.

A world without alcohol is hard to believe. Most of today 's society wouldn’t be able to wrap their head around it. In the United States prohibition was a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages it remained in place from 1920 to 1933. When the 18th amendment was passed in the year 1919 America was asking for chaos. With everything that affected the United States during prohibition, it is because of the increase in crime, weak enforcement, lack of respect for the law, and economic suffrage that the 18th amendment was repealed.

As the roaring twenties reached their end the battle against alcohol in the United States is just arising to a turning point. With serious controversy over the Volstead Act the country was greatly divided. There was also the extreme rising occurrences of crime, the creation of gangs and a newly established, unorganized criminal justice system. Prohibition was a disaster across America and the more reforment from the government just made things worse.

The 1920’s, or “The Roaring 20’s”, was a decade that witnessed exciting social changes. It was a time of prosperity and dissipation, bootleggers and jazz dancers, and most importantly, it was a decade of The Prohibition Era. The Prohibition Era is basically an era which banned the manufacture, transportation, import and export, and the sale of alcoholic beverages. It was meant to reduce crime, corruption, and social problems and increase the overall hygiene of America. However, this social and political experiment failed.

Bootlegging was the manufacture, distribution and sell of illegal goods. In this case it was Alcohol. During the prohibition Era, the rise of Speakeasies increased. A Speakeasies also known as “blind pigs” and “gin joints,”was an illegal bar or nightclub that sold illegal liquor during the Prohibition Era. The liquor was supplied by gangsters such as Al Capone. They were known as Speakeasies because they had to “Speak Easy” and/or stay quiet on where the bar was located. Speakeasies were typically located in Cellars, Attics and Basements. To enter a Speakeasies one had to whisper a password or know a secret knock in order to not be overheard by the law enforcement. Once inside, many Speakeasies establishments required code words to order Alcohol. Cocktails were created in order to mask the Alcohol inside the

The First World War had ended in the 1920’s, but a new war was beginning on the American streets. This was known as the gang war. People were committing organized crime and there were people who were known as professional criminals. Organized crime was becoming a very big thing in Cleveland. In the 1920’s, prohibition was also going on . Alcohol was illegal. People like Al Capone and the Mafias were taking advantage of the prohibition era. These mafias were making more money as the days went by. People were willing to pay a lot of money just to get some alcohol. The mafias increased in size to the point where they had all the police out numbered. The police were having a tough time keeping up with all the crimes that were happening. Not only

In the early 1920s, the views on alcohol in America had two very different standpoints. On one side, there were the people who believed that alcohol was a good contribution to society. These people were known as Modernists. On the other side, there were the people known as traditionalists who thought alcohol was evil and corrupt. These two sides differ in opinions which led to the debate against the drys and the wets. The passing of the Eighteenth Amendment was supported by the traditionalists, but created havoc in the cities which was predicted by the modernist and resulted in the repeal of the prohibition and can be compared to the Twenty-first century debate on the legalization of marijuana.

Since the beginning of time there have always been clicks and groups that were made up of people who had the same goals in mind or same interests. However, nowadays gangs consist mostly of people who commit the same type of crimes together that involve drug charges or murders. Gangs noticeably started getting their “bad image” beginning with a man named Al Capone. The rebellion started with the prohibition era. Al Capone was the most powerful gangster in Chicago during this era. The gangs or mobs of the 1920s and 30s sold alcohol illegally for huge profits. They were the forerunner of today's gangs who thrive on illegal drug profits”(p.40 Barden, Ronardo). Prohibition was a huge deal in this time, so in order to continue making a profit off

The 1920’s remain to be a great time of change for countless people and many things. Women got the right to vote and the image of women began to take a turn. The gap between rural and urban society was widening and numerous people moved to urban areas. America looks at new people to become American Heros such as Amelia Earhart. Mass media such as movies, radios and newspaper became a new way to produce something and have everybody see it. The 1920’s were considered the Jazz age due to the huge popularity of Jazz music. For African Americans Harlem grew into the cultural center of the U.S. and a literary outbreak known as the Harlem Renaissance happened. For the U.S. to try and eliminate prostitution, gambling and other forms of vice crime, the 18th Amendment came into play: no manufacturing, selling, or transporting alcohol. Different from Prohibition, the issue of whether it was okay or not okay to teach evolution in public schools and the KKK came into the picture once

Speakeasies, used to illegally sell alcohol during the Prohibition era, were hidden underground establishments that were mainly associated with gangs that supplied the liquor and were synonymous to Prohibition. These establishments were rampant all over the country “In New York City alone, there were 35,000 illegal drinking establishments, as estimated by the New York City police department” (Lerner 138). Assuming that there could have been more Speakeasies, as these estimates were from court cases since the people involved did not keep record “it is safe to say that speakeasies were extremely plentiful in almost every corner of the United States during Prohibition” over all proving its prominence within the country (Collins 24). Additionally these establishments had become as popular as they were at the time because of the rebellion sought out from entering a Speakeasy. Opposition to the prohibition laws reached its peak when blue collar workers and business owners alike became friends in order to drink and avoid the law, since it became “fashionable to flout the Prohibition laws “ (speakeasies) The staggering amount of Speakeasies became a symbol of support for gang culture as well as opposition to the government. Since organized crime was able to thrive from any normal person participating in a Speakeasy, the integration of gang culture within the community was shown from the support given to them. Moreover, Gang culture became popular in the sense that speakeasies gave people the means to oppose the law and protest it in their own