Crime And Prohibition In The 1920's

On January 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment was put into action and nationwide prohibition began in the United States. During these times, temperance ideals were disseminating throughout the country. Supporters of the prohibition believed that corruption and violence would decrease drastically if alcohol was banned. Ironically, this was not the case as the crime rate seemingly increased. This was because bootlegging, the manufacturing of illegal alcohol, became prevalent during these dry days. Saloons shut down, but speakeasies were set up to substitute these bars. Although many assert that crime and corruption at this time was not significant, I believe that these criminal acts did have historical impact and that similar issues can be seen

The boss of the Chicago Outfit was one of the most infamous gangsters of all time, a statement that can be backed up by his violent crimes. His string of organized crimes included bootlegging, prostitution, racketeering, and gambling. During the Prohibition era, it was the illegal sale of bootleg whiskey that substantiated most of his wealth, which was approximately 100 million dollars annually. Unfortunately, the Chicago Outfit was not the only gang that operated in that locale so, naturally, there were great amounts of rivalries and fights for territory. It was in this wrestle for power where the gangsters, especially Al Capone, truly demonstrated their cold-bloodedness to the public. In early 1929, Al Capone was well-known for his profitable operations which led to many attempts at his

To begin with, the president at the time, Warren G. Harding, was criticized for the appointments of questionable figures into his office and was involved in a large scandal that decayed all integrity that was left of him and his administration. The Harding Administration was involved in a misconduct named the Teapot Dome Scandal. Oil reserves was set up in Wyoming and California so that the Navy would never run out of oil for their ships. President Harding issued an executive order to transfer the jurisdiction of these reserve from the Navy to the Department of the Interior. In 1922, the Secretary of Interior, Albert Bacon Fall, leased the old reserve in Wyoming, without competitive bidding, to Harry F. Sinclair and the one in California to Edward L. Doheny, who were both oilmen. Thomas J. Walsh conducted a Senate investigation and it was uncovered that Albert Fall received a $400,000 ‘loan’ from Doheny and Sinclair for his assistance. In 1929, Albert Fall was convicted for accepting a bribe and was sent to prison for a year. Out of all the cabinet officials in the past, he was the first ever to be imprisoned. Unfortunately, this was not the sole incident that tainted the image of the Harding Administration. Harry M. Daugherty, who was also appointed by President Harding, was the Attorney General from 1921 to 1924. Daugherty was accused of inappropriately receiving endowments from selling the assets of the