Prohibition And Immigration In The 1920's

After the event of World War I, Americans began to express anti-immigrant views against Eastern and Central Europeans. Americans had feared communism after the overthrowing of the Russian royal family during 1917 and only increased when the Boston Police strike occurred in 1919. This brought up a concern for a potential revolution caused by radicals and communists. Throughout the United States, Anarchists mailed bombs to distinguished Americans, which gave more substance to the Red Scare. Through the people and the government, their actions show how fearful America was towards communism.

This law increased custom duties by nearly 50% on imports of more than 20,000 types of goods. Many countries, as a retaliatory measure, also increased their import taxes. As a result, world trade fell sharply, which contributed to exacerbating the Great Depression. With overproduction still occurring, this international standstill only made to intensify the already critical situation. The tariff also increased living costs, limit exports and hurt investors as the high tariffs would make it harder for debtors to pay off loans, continuing to weaken banks.

It’s the 1920’s and fear sweeps through the United States. When communists overthrew the Russian government in the 1917 Bolshevik Russian Revolution, the United States government resolved to prevent a similar uprising in America. American citizens also had a growing fear that the new communist ideals in Russia would spread to the United States, damaging the nation’s democracy. This fear of communism was known as “The Red Scare” or “The First Red Scare.”

Many were just shacks but some were for the rich and well connected, during this time of alcohol restriction all classes in society participated in drinking alcohol, no class was excluded from drinking from the very poor to politicans and police. One of the main reasons for this use of alcohol during prohibtion was the loophole that only selling and distrubtion of alcohol were prohibited, because if the fact that the consumption wasn 't restricted people readily continued to drink alcohol, the only thing that really changed was who they got their supply of alcohol from, no longer did they get their supply from the local taverns but now they received thier alcohol from the local speakeasy. Another reason for the rampant wave of crime during prohibtion was the fact that the people responsible for enforcing it were horrendously understaffed, there were only about 1500 federal agents given the job of enforcing prohibition. These same 1500 agents were responsible for the enforcement of prohibtion on all the states, leaving about 30 for every state of the

Gangs began fighting for their territories which led to destruction and death. Violent crime became prominent in the era of prohibition. Capone was one of the major leaders in the violent crime. He organized one of the worst murders during this era, the St. Valentine 's Day Massacre. The St. Valentine Day Massacre is just one example of the numerous murders committed in the mobsters search for territory.

During the the Mafia including Torrio and Capone got stupid rich. Once Torrio had crazy money he eventually retired from the mafia in 1925 giving Prostitution, gambling, bootlegging and other illegal activities to the one and only Al Capone aka (scarface). This was the start of organized crime in the

David Beacon, argues that the displacement of immigrants is a direct cause of economic disturbances in their home countries that leads to high levels of poverty, which leaves these migrants no choice but to migrate to work for cheap labor (Beacon ---:73). In addition, Beacon argues that the U.S. further complicates immigration reform to keep immigrants vulnerable in the work force by not providing them rights or their ability to progress in the country (---:81). Furthermore, Beacon connects the labor vulnerability brought upon undocumented immigrants after they are displaced by their home countries due to economic distubances. As was the case

The massacre changed the lives of the families and friends of the victims of the massacre, and it also changed the lives of the soldiers. The laws and protests during the time of the massacre were almost as horrific as the massacre itself. Most of the laws were set to tax the Colonies so that Britain could pay their debts, but they did not work due to the boycotts the Patriots had used to protests them. The Townshend Acts, created by Charles Townshend, were a taxation of all of all of the goods that were imported into America. The acts were so outrageous, that it eventually led to the Boston Massacre.

Prohibition wasn’t the only source of social tension in the 1920’s. The Great migration of African Americans from the south countryside to the north cities, and the increase of black culture had embarrassed the white’s and it made them feel very uncomfortable about themselves. Because of this, millions of white people in different places like Indiana, and Illinois joined the KKK in the 1920’s. To them, they felt like this Klan helped them by killing the black people and going back to their own culture.

The war fever made the political parties even more divided. People did not trust immigrants. Federalists thought the immigrants would back the Republicans. Congress passed the alien act that raised the time to live in the U.S. to be nationalized from 5 to 14 years (9 years longer) and gave the president the power to deport or imprison any alien he considered dangerous. People thought this was unfair, so Congress passed the sedition act (sedition is activity designed to overthrow government) that harshly limited free speech by making it illegal to write and say anything insulting, false, or with “bad intent” about the government.

The mob was full of ruthless, heartless men who all had a common goal, to make money. They would do whatever necessary to not only protect their illegal activities but also to expand their criminal empire. Local gangsters not only controlled the alcohol industry, but they also controlled the police. They used bribery and corruption to convince law enforcement to look the other

Selling alcohol, which was once

Persecution amongst the rich and the poor had colossal influence in not just The New York Draft Riot of 1863 additionally the Watts uproar of 1992. Bigotry likewise brought on the tragedies that spread all through New York City and Los Angeles. April of 1863, President Lincoln issued a decree calling for 300,000 men, and if your name were called, you were going to battle in the common war unless you had 300 dollars, then you could purchase out of the draft. The Los Angeles uproar was the most noticeably bad mobs in the United States. The uproar was brought about by the absolution of policemen who wrongfully beat an African American man after he was pulled over for speeding.

A hatred for immigrants caused nativism to spread throughout the nation. Immigrants who believed in socialism were deported, without trials and some thought, against the ideas of liberty the U.S. stood for (Doc 9). Some immigrants faced accusations that led to jail and even execution

To begin, crime was at a high during this event in history. For example, between 1919 and 1933 the homicide rate was 7-10 americans per 100,000 (document B). The homicide rates were increasing during prohibition. In the time of WWII homicide rates dropped but were still at 6 americans per 100,000 (document B).