The Effects Of Organized Crime During Prohibition

Organized crime during Prohibition skyrocketed for a multitude of different and varied reasons. Through the criminal experience and political connections gained in the early 1900’s, as a result of the gambling and prostitution rackets, many criminals were ready to take advantage of Prohibition. However, a result of the illegal consumption and distribution of alcohol is that there is not a fair way to settle disputes. Therefore, violent crimes increased due to it being the only way for gangsters to solve unsettled issues with one another. One of the most famous gangsters of the time arrived in Chicago just as Prohibition had began- Al Capone. Al Capone inherited the leadership of the Torrio Gang when he arrived in Chicago in 1920. Al Capone

Upon the inception of Prohibition many different aspects of the economy were suppose to be positively affected by the ban on alcohol; however, the economy drastically decreased instead of the suspected increase. Michael Lerner states that, “Prohibition's supporters were initially surprised by what did not come to pass during the dry era. When the law went into effect, they expected sales of clothing and household goods to skyrocket. Real estate developers and landlords expected rents to rise as saloons closed and neighborhoods improved. Chewing gum, grape juice, and soft drink companies all expected growth. Theater producers expected new crowds as Americans looked for new ways to entertain themselves without alcohol. None of it came to pass. Instead, the unintended consequences proved to be a decline in amusement and entertainment industries across the board. Restaurants failed, as they could no longer make a profit without legal liquor sales. Theater revenues declined rather than increase and few of the other economic benefits that had been predicted came to pass” (Lerner). This quote explains how a majority of the people who supported the ban on alcohol believed that the ban would increase sales in other facets of the economy. However, this assumption was false and instead of the money being spent in different parts of the economy it was spent on acquiring illegal alcohol.

The stock market crash and the Great Depression are indirect consequences of Prohibition and the effects it caused throughout the nation. However, life in Tennessee had been difficult for a long period of time before the stock market crash. A long drought had swept through the state and caused many of the farmers to give up farming and turn to illegal bootlegging and other activities in order to make a living. Bootlegging was a dangerous and hazardous occupation that is seen in the quote, “behind him the siren sounded again, louder and with a new sense of urgency. I never tried it in the rain, he was thinking. The accelerator pedal was crushed hard under his foot and he watched the needle strain up to sixty before he let off for the next curve” (McCarthy 74). This quote explains the dangers of bootlegging and the potential life threatening chases that can occur as a result of bootlegging. Another economic effect of Prohibition on Tennessee is that many people moved away from Tennessee and into urban areas in order to obtain jobs in factories and to have access to alcohol. As the farming population dwindled, the population looked to move to urban areas in order to obtain a job to pay for finances. Also, people continued to leave Tennessee for places like Chicago in order to have easier access to alcohol and speakeasies. As a result of Prohibition, people in Tennessee were forced to