In January of 1919, the 18th amendment was passed which stated “ … The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors … For beverage purpose is hereby prohibited” (Constitution). Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many states were already dry. Even though the 18th amendment was to stop drinking all together, it did not even come close. Prohibition created a large number of bootleggers, which are people that sell alcohol illegally. In addition, speakeasies, or bars that sold illegal alcohol, were across the country. These bootleggers and speakeasies created a lot of gangs, which led to a massive amount of crime throughout the prohibition time period. Bootleggers, also known as rum runners, were people who played …show more content…
“Federal efforts to enforce prohibition, including raids on speakeasies, were countered by well-organized bootlegging operations with national and international connections” (Organized Crime). No matter what the government tried to do, these gang members would not budge on their idea of how illustrious their business was. “During the 1920s … Italian-American gangs (along with other ethnic gangs) entered the booming bootleg liquor business and transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises, skilled at smuggling, money laundering and bribing police and other public officials” (Mafia in the United States). The government did everything in their power to try and stop gangsters from rising to power, but everything they tried did not work. “While most cities across the nation had crime syndicates that controlled the flow of illegal alcohol, certain names garnered more respect and notoriety, and would become synonymous with the Prohibition Era's crime problem” (Gangsters During Prohibition). A very significant gang, Colosimo, in Chicago run by Al Capone and Johnny Torrio was one of the most dangerous in the area (Al Capone). Between the bootlegging, the speakeasies, and the racketeering that Al Capone was a part of, his income for numerous years was over $100 million dollars (Gangsters During Prohibition). Al Capone was also known as the …show more content…
“Wars among gangs, producing grisly killings, frequently made headlines” (Organized Crime). One of those most heinous crimes was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre which happened in 1929. “Orchestrated by Capone, the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was one example of numerous murders committed by mobsters in their quest for territory to distribute illegal booze” (Prohibition and Crime). The massacre consisted of several men from an Irish gang getting shot to death by some of Capone’s men dressed as police officers. Even though Capone was never charged with the murders almost everyone knew that he was the one behind it but because one of the members shot wouldn’t speak, Capone was never punished. “In the few minutes before he died, they (the actual police officers) pressed him to reveal what had happened, but Gusenberg wouldn’t talk” (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre). Although many say that the crime rate went down during prohibition, the violent crime rate went up drastically. “Overall violent crime such as murders, batteries, and assaults increased by 13 percent” (Prohibition and Crime). With the amount of violent crime rising in the United States, the government had to step in and do something to stop these