Criminal Activities In The 1920s

1624 Words7 Pages

Criminal Activity of the 1920s-1930s
The early times of the 20th century, more specifically the 1920s, in the United States were an era filled with tons of parties, huge change due to the international economic depression, and, thanks to the laws behind prohibition, criminal enterprise. These enterprises were very enigmatic, only sharing its careers ' secrets with its members. The only other people it fashioned with were sometimes people and businesses that were a part of the cities and societies these organizations took place in. Whether it is with bribes or blackmail, these people some of the times had no choice but to resort to assisting these organizations. These people included those with a high position or rank in society, such as police …show more content…

But rumors of new kinds of mobsters traveling from their home country to the United States started to arise through the years. These people would come to be known as the Italian Mafia.
Along with other large parts of southern Italy, Sicily, an island in Italy, was under Arab and Norman control for many centuries. In response, agents of other remote landlords arrived to have authority over the land and the livelihood of its peasants. As they collected money from doing so, they supplied protection from alien overlords. With a sudden event of immigration from southern Italy in the 1890s, the same system used in Italy at the time was exported and used in the United States.
In 1890, accounts of very intelligent and coordinated Italian criminals arose, inconsistently receiving the personas of the Mafia, the Black Hand, the Neapolitan Camorra, or La Cosa Nostra, otherwise defined as ¨Our Thing.” These associations more often than not demonstrated how great they are at what they do by staying clear of public attention. This is known as its omerta , or its “code of silence”. Failing to follow this will most likely result in an excruciating punishment, or, in other words, …show more content…

In conclusion, a rise in criminal activity of the 1920s was a result of the nationwide ban of distribution of alcohol and resulted in the great movement of Italian mobsters to America. These mobsters turned the country into a colossal illegal liquor bar as well as a place where it was common for someone to die as a result of drinking poor quality alcohol retrieved by high-end criminal masterminds. Prohibition brought many new problems to America instead of the lowering of unemployment and crime rate the government thought it would bring. One of the main men who left an imprint on America as well as many other places in the world was Al Capone, one of the most famous, or infamous, Mafia leaders of all time. The impression he left did not disappear with him being held in many different prisons or