Jay Gatsby Bootlegger Analysis

(The Brewing Industry) Railroads are gaining profit because alcohol producing companies are paying them to distribute their product to stores. Telegraph companies are benefiting due to different companies interacting and negotiating with each other. Lastly, mechanical refrigeration units are not cheap, so if alcohol companies are buying the units, the makers of the refrigeration units are making huge profits. This complex flow of money helps the economy run smoothly. On the other hand, the prohibition of alcohol had a very negative affect on the economy.

Capone was smart about how he appeared in the public and in media he always wore suits and pulled it off by acting like a respectable businessman. Capone had a secret bootlegging trail from Chicago to New York. This trail made Capone more money than he ever dreamed of. But during a one of the bootlegging runs McSwiggen got shot and killed by one of Capone’s henchmen. Nobody got convicted due to lack of evidence.

one mans father even recalls his father running an “establishment” for Mr.Birger. What went on at said establishment is anybody’s guess. Although bootleggers did not refrain from often robbing the government of their so-called “medicinal liquor”, they did refrain from “attacking ordinary citizens, and law enforcement officers were strictly off limits” (Gingold) When gangs were not stealing the liquor they were making it , although gangs had always controlled gambling and prostitution, but: “the 1920s was the birth of organized crime. From Boston to Kansas City, powerful gangs carved up all the major cities. Added together, they controlled an enormous empire of breweries, distilleries, warehouses, fleets of trucks and fast boats, and tens of thousands of speakeasies.” This makes it clear that bootlegging was happening all over the U.S.

In the Roaring ‘20s organized crime was popular and was used by many gangster to become wealthy.According to “Al Capone”, one of the most infamous leader of organized crime of all time was Al “Scarface” Capone. Al Capone was known for bootlegging and was a millionaire because of it. Since alcohol was illegal, citizens decided to purchase it from local bootleggers like Capone. According to Professional Historians from A&E Networks, Al Capone’s annual salary from selling Alcohol was an estimated $600

Gatsby reveals a different side to himself, than Dexter.“I found out what your ‘drug stores’ were.” He turned to us and spoke rapidly. “He and Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.” (The Great Gatsby). Gatsby has a great work ethic, as mentioned in the novel.

Speakeasies, illegal bars that often had their own bootleggers, began popping up all over the city. The bootleggers and the city officials both found the arrangements very profitable since bootleggers made money from their speakeasies and in turn paid off the police, politicians and corrupt prohibition

Because he was an inexperienced politician, he didn’t know how to handle the crash. Although he wasn’t directly involved in the scandal, his reputation suffered. Even today, people remember him as a bad politician because of the Gold Market Scandal. Next, Grant’s secretary Orville E. Babcock used Grant’s power to help people evade taxes in the Whiskey Ring Scandal. After the Prohibition, alcohol manufacturers were heavily taxed.

Everyday life was filled with bribing government officials, fraud and manipulation. They also called this era “The forgettable presidents” because of the little real power they had. No one took orders from the government, they were more focused on rebuilding society. In fact, Andrew Johnson was impeached from office because of the amount of distaste towards him. The business world wasn’t the only thing corrupt but the railroads were too.

The party was formed in 1912 by the urban middle class, who were displeased with all of the corruption in politics. This party was very successful at achieving what the Populists could not. They succeeded at getting laws passed to restrain immigration, set up a postal savings banks, limiting work days to eight-hours, and set up an initiative, referendum, and recall. The Progressives also had several amendments passed, the sixteenth, allowing for the graduated income tax, the seventeen, enforcing the direct primary that was passed by the Populists, the eighteenth, staring the prohibition on alcohol, and the nineteenth, allowing everyone to vote regardless of their gender. Much of the Progressives success was due to muckrakers.

Multitudes of people will say that such men were robber barons for refusing to settle for being a half-millionaire. Although it is true that many employees were not paid adequately, they happened to be contributing to America’s success. The question will forever remain on whether these industrialists were robber barons or captains of