The 1920s was a decade of prosperity, jazz bands, bootleggers, raccoon coats, flappers and marathon dancers. It was also the first decade in history to have a nickname: “The Roaring 20s" or "Jazz Age." During the 1920s, Crime was not like it is today. Gangs and mobs didn’t occur as often in the 20th century as they do today in the 21st. This is one of the very reasons why Alphonse "Al" Gabriel Capone became known as the definer and one of the most recognizable figures in the history of organized crime in the U.S.
Trouble started for Alphonse Capone around the age of 13 or 14 just after he quit the seventh grade. He became a member of the junior branch in a notorious gang called the Five Point Juniors. Thus into the criminal world Capone
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Prohibition began in 1920 and this market was viewed as a growth industry by Capone. He capitalized on the sale and distribution of illegal alcohol which added millions together with the businesses of prostitution and gambling. Soon Capone’s illegal brewing business idea spread throughout the mob community. Though the importance of Al Capone’s brewing business may not seem clear, his idea made way for a rise in criminal activity. The 18th Amendment went exactly the way leaders and law enforcement didn't want it to go. With the installment of the new amendment, criminals for the first time began to illegally distribute alcohol on a nationwide basis. The number of syndicates bloomed. Bootlegging, brewing moonshine, and smuggling thrived, and although even some leaders of law enforcement faced criminal charges, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover denied the existence of organized crime.
It was in this era that crime began to seem an everyday occurrence. In fact, criminals even controlled most businesses that were in our everyday life. Organized criminals started to run a majority of entertainment venues all throughout the era. Gangsters controlled the hottest clubs such as Harlem's Cotton Club, and Eighteenth Streets jazz joints. Musical greats such as Duke Ellington and even Louis Armstrong were guided by Mob-connected managers. Mobsters also made their