Roy Olmstead Case

The successful bootleggers at the time were able to capitalize on the high demand for alcohol. “Through the criminal experience gained and the political connections established in gambling and prostitution rackets in the early 1900s, gangsters had become well prepared for the exploitation of Prohibition.”

The men who created this law were not even following it. A deputy U.S Attorney General for Prohibition enforcement, Mabel Walker Willebrandt explains she is tired of the hypocrisy. It she showed by her asking “How can you have the heart to prosecute a bootlegger, send a man to jail for six months or a year for selling a pint or quart of whiskey, when you know for a fact that the men who make the laws.. Are themselves patronizing bootleggers?” (Doc. D) This document conveys that Americans wanted to repeal the 18th Amendment because it is unfair to have to follow a law that law makers are not even following themselves. In addition, the failure of enforcement was due to the fact of there not being enough police to stop everyone from getting alcohol. Frederic J. Haskin states, “Smuggling from Mexico and Canada has been successful on a large scale because it is an utter impossibility to patrol thousands of miles of border… (B)ootleggers…” (Doc. C) Everyone knew they could get alcohol one way or another because there was not enough cops to patrol the

In the 1920's, the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the consumption, distributing, and production of alcohol, was passed and seen as a failure as it filled the streets of America with criminals and gangsters. Americans saw the 18th Amendment as a violation of their constitution rights and often found a way to go around the amendment. For example, speakeasies, which was an illegal liquor store or night club during prohibition, began to emerge. This allowed Americans to go against tradition culture by socializing with other people who opposed Prohibition. The 18th Amendment raised crime rates within the United States. During this time, many people joined gangs and illegally transported and manufactured alcohol. Prohibition was a failure

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

On January 16, 1920, the 18th amendment was passed stating alcohol was illegal creating multiple problems in the United States. Although Prohibition seemed like a good idea at first, representing good health and morality, prohibition soon led to organized crime and gangs. Speakeasies, run by gangs and bootleggers, sold illegal and home-made alcohol. Bootleggers, getting their names from people soring alcohol in false legs, would run bars or taverns hidden from police. Organized crime grew and the gangs fought for control and kept their secrets by conquering any threats. The amendment was finally nullified in 1933 by the 21st amendment. Organized crime wasn’t ended although prohibition was repealed and creating many

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.

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

Crime rates went up and increased in numbers rapidly soon after the prohibition laws were put in place. The population continued to grow throughout the war with about forty- five million people that lived in the states, countries, or cities that forbade both the manufacture and selling of alcohol(Slavicek). With such a high population, much money was put into enforcing prohibition. The annual budget of the Bureau of Prohibition went from approximately $4,000,000 to $13,500,000 during the 1920s (Thornton). Prohibition just kept failing no matter how much money or law enforcement the government put into it. Journalist Richard Cowan invented The Iron Law of Prohibition stating that the more intense law enforcement was on a prohibited substance, the more popular the prohibited substances became(Thornton). When anything becomes prohibited, the product will become more popular, be adulterated with unknown or dangerous substances, and will not be produced and consumed under normal market constraints . Due to alcohol having such a high popularity imports began to take place through many ports. Bootleggers began smuggling liquor into the United States not just from Canada and Mexico but from other seacoasts and ships under foreign registry such as the Bahamas, Cuba, and the French islands and off the southern coast of Newfoundland(Prohibition). Prohibition made it more difficult to supply weaker, products, such as beer, than stronger, compact products, such as whiskey, because(Thornton). As prohibition laws were suspected to be broken more, and more law enforcement began to get involved. Law enforcement agencies began to use sting operations. Elliot Ness, a prohibition agent, that went undercover trying to catch people selling consuming, and producing alcohol, used the method of wiretapping to reveal the secret locations of breweries, while

There was very weak enforcement. For example, there was only 3,000 to 3,500 federal Prohibition agents in 1923 (document C). There were hardly any officers to enforce, so it was difficult to control bootlegging (document C). Law in general was so corrupt at this point. Mabel Walker Willebrandt states how upset she is at the fact law enforcers themselves aren’t following the laws (document D). It was a double-standard. It was a waste of time and funds trying to enforce something they can’t. Especially if lawmakers can’t follow the laws themselves (document

Crooked Agents were bribed to “look away” from people buying liquor. Even workers in the government wouldn’t help with the prohibition, they wouldn’t spend any money on enforcing it. When criminals smuggled alcohol they could easily get away with it because there would be so little patrol at the many miles of the country 's border. (Document C) The men who made the prohibition were not following its rules. Many congressmen were violators of the Volstead Act. (Document D) People still drank alcohol throughout Prohibition, the consumption didn’t stop at all. (Document K) Infact throughout the whole prohibition time the consumption of alcohol had barely dipped down.

When someone has committed a crime, they are put on trial and they go through the motions of the judicial system. In 12 Angry Men, Reginald Rose creates a play that displays the judicial system in its truest form. It tells the story of the jury, as they have to come to a unanimous verdict of whether the defendant is guilty, innocent, guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, of murder. The main conflict that the jurors face in the play is whether to charge him as guilty or not. Through the conflict in the book, the flaws in the justice system are illustrated and reasonable doubt appears. They are most apparent through the first vote, the change of heart in the seventh juror and the final verdict.

During the 1920s multiple criminal activities were taking place and the majority of illegal activity was due to the eighteenth amendment which prohibited the selling and manufacture of alcohol. Illegal activity that took place was bootlegging and the establishment of speakeasies. With criminal activity on the rise, a major criminal behind many illegal activities at the time was Al Capone. In addition, the Mafia rose with gambling, bootlegging, and illegal marketing.

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:

Although the first amendment guarantee’s freedom of speech, the guarantee is not absolute. There should be an expectation to the first amendment. Another aspect of freedom of speech is expressive conduct (such as flag burning). The supreme court has grappled with whether laws banning expressive conduct are permissible under the first amendment. This court is in favor of Texas because, is it not right to burn a flag, with military people died to protect our flag, it is a symbol of freedom, and it will cause more problems in the world.

Prohibition played a large role in the rise of organizes crime. With the belief that alcohol was a dangerous drug and the route to disruption in the communities and family structure, prohibitionists pushed to ban the sale of alcohol. They believed it was responsibility of the government to intervene and prohibit its sales (Lyman 2015), thus subsequently creating the National Prohibition movement. With alcohol now banned, it created a high demand in the black market and created a gold mine for crime (Lyman, 2015).