Gangsters In The 1920s Essay

For my ethnographic research report, I chose to study Bootleggers and gangsters during the Prohibition Era. Prohibition was a time, from 1920 to 1933, during which the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol was illegal. Supporters of Prohibition were mostly religious middle class protestant woman who felt that the United States needed to be socially reformed; therefore, they were able to convince enough lawmakers to pass the 18th amendment that essentially outlawed alcohol beverages . Although it became illegal during this era to consume alcoholic beverages, demand remained high. People felt that alcohol provided them with a way to release the tension they felt after a long hard day at work. It was a form of entertainment. Others

The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.

The 1920’s was an interesting time in American history. This era was also known as the roaring twenties. Although it is remembered as a fond time before the Great Depression there was also a lot of conflicts arising, Cultural conflicts in particular were at the center. Prohibition and Immigration were two of the main cultural conflicts during this time period.

Mobsters was a term that describes a group of gangsters in the 1920’s. Gambling, Prostitution, and Murder went hand in hand with the term of mobster. Every mafia group has a leader. Al Capone was a dangerous mobster who was a Mafia crime lord and had took part in illegal alcohol, illegal drugs, prostitution, and illegal gambling during the 1920s (History).

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.

In 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in America (Doc B). Prohibitionists overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government. Thus, there was tension between the modernists and the traditionalists. Although the amendment was passed, alcohol was still distributed illegally. Actually, prohibition spawned many crimes, such as illegal sale of alcohol and gang wars. Specifically, Al Capone was one of the most well-known booze distributors and was labeled “public enemy number

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). Another example, (document A) gangsters, racketeers, and all their friends were happy about prohibition. Therefore, there had to be something wrong with the law. Crime was so high Americans were completely against prohibition.

The 1920s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties”, was an exhilarating time full of significant social, economic, and political change. For most Americans, it was full of the prosperity and peace that followed World War I. Middle-class life was full of leisure and class. For others, this time period was filled with hardships and challenges. Many immigrants and African-Americans faced discrimination and segregation from the rest of the United States.

This exhibit is focused on the “Roaring 20’s”, and what made the 1920s roar. The Roaring Twenties roared because of the vast amounts of spending, the crime, and people just having fun. Willie Sutton was an extravagant bank robber during the 1920s. Sutton was born on June 30, 1901 in Brooklyn, New York. Willie Sutton wasn’t a typical thug. He was instead described by those he encountered as polite and even a gentleman. During his forty-year robber career he stole an estimated two million dollars, and he eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escaped three times.(“Willie Sutton.” Willie Sutton , FBI.). He was known for executing robberies in disguises, he gained two nicknames, "Willie the Actor"

Guns, gangs, women, alcohol, gambling, are just some things that come to mind when I hear prohibition. According to the online source American History, The Prohibition is the act of prohibiting the manufacturing, storage, transportation, and sale of alcohol, including any alcoholic beverage. This led to the biggest crime rates of all time. At the head of all the crime was one man. His name, Alphonse Capone aka (Scarface) . “You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.” This was Al Capone’s favorite saying. Which summarizes his can do attitude and how he expects things to get done. Al Capone was born January 25, 1899 and died January 25,1947. Although Capone’s life was short, he impacted America more

Once the Prohibition law had been set, it started more crime. That’s when Al Capone became one of the biggest criminals in history. While the Prohibition law was set, Al Capone started selling illegal liquor to people who were desperate. He set up bars in the basements at night and paid the managers or whoever was closing up the shop for the night to not say anything. And if they did say anything to the police, he would threaten to kill them and their families.

During the 1920’s gang related crime was a serious issue. The leader of all this violence and corruption was a man named Al “Scarface” Capone (“Al Capone”). This organized crime, dehumanization, and corruption, became the ultimate image of Chicago for people throughout the world. He was largely immersed in things like gambling, prostitution, and the illegal sale of liquor. He was not convicted for any of his crimes, even the St. Valentine's Day massacre of 1929, until he was imprisoned for tax evasion (Horan). Al Capone was a very powerful leader and an all around mastermind.

In the 1920s, Al Capone was a name that inspired fear into the hearts of all of Chicago. His reign as crime boss over Chicago came because of a single government act. This act was the Eighteen Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, commonly known as Prohibition. The common goal for the law was that alcohol related crime would go down and the problems of drunks who did not take care of or provide for their families would be eradicated. However, the law made the sale, manufacture, and use of all alcohol illegal. Prohibition failed because it was not easily enforced, it destroyed businesses and jobs, and lead to the rise of organized crime.

The Untouchables is an action packed movie, set in Chicago, 1920s. Crime controls the city, the system has gone corrupt, and people are dying. Chicago has a major problem, a cruel, and rich gangster named Al Capone. Capone is notorious in the city for the illegal distribution of liquor, and brutal acts of enforcing his business. Who will stop Capone from enforcing his monstrous agenda? That’s where our heroes come in. Lights, camera, action; we have The Untouchables. How does this movie compare to the real history of Al Capone and the people who hunted him down? In the movie The Untouchables, there are several similarities and differences in comparison with history. Eliot Ness and his team, and Capone

The term gang can be attached to a legion of groups which would include outlaws from back in the nineteenth century in the west of America, a congregation of unruly prison inmates, members of the triads, the mafioso, and other organised criminal entities such as sons of anarchy a know motorcycle gang, and groups of socially displaced inner city youths. Despite its diverse definition, the term gang most of the times denotes the involvement to illegal or disreputable activities.