The creation of illegal establishments like speakeasies would be the just the beginning of crime in the 1920s. Bootlegging, the illegal sell of alcohol became commonplace. Gangsters rose to power on the streets of cities like Chicago and New York. Criminals like Al Capone, and Charles “Lucky’ Luciano became household names. Prohibition, intended to fix America’s alcohol problem, only made it worse.
Al Capone Al Capone, a mob boss. In 1920s the mob was at its peak. The mob made alcohol, had prostitutes and gambled during the prohibition. The prohibition was when the 18th amendment was passed, the 18th amendment banned alcohol in the United States. Capone was one of the more well known mob bosses.
Al Capone and the Prohibition Era: Crime, Power, and Downfall During the Prohibition era in the United States, Al Capone rose to infamy as one of the most notorious figures in organized crime. His reign underscored the interconnectedness of crime, societal transformation, and the failure of prohibitionist policies, revealing the complexities of power and downfall within the realm of organized crime. Al Capone's emergence as a prominent figure in organized crime during the Prohibition era was facilitated by the societal conditions of the time. Against the backdrop of Prohibition, a nationwide ban on alcohol enacted through the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution from 1920 to 1933, Capone rose to prominence as a prominent gangster,
During the 1920’s gang related crime was a serious issue. The leader of all this violence and corruption was a man named Al “Scarface” Capone (“Al Capone”). This organized crime, dehumanization, and corruption, became the ultimate image of Chicago for people throughout the world. He was largely immersed in things like gambling, prostitution, and the illegal sale of liquor. He was not convicted for any of his crimes, even the St. Valentine's Day massacre of 1929, until he was imprisoned for tax evasion (Horan).
There was only around 1500 agents to enforce the Prohibition when the law went into effect in 1920. Those 1500 agents were paid such measly wages that they were easily bribed by the same people they were supposed to be looking for. The Prohibition gave rise to many well-known gangsters. Al Capone was the most notorious. He made his money from running speakeasies and the distribution of alcohol.
In the article “Capone, Al” by Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine it states, “Prohibition gave rise to organized crime in America. Prior to the 1920s, gangsters operated independently, often in ethnic enclaves, but Prohibition created a national market for illegal liquor. By the mid-1920s, organized crime was a highly structured, well-organized enterprise, and gangsters had become national figures. Gangsters such as Al Capone in Chicago and Lucky Luciano in New York City became powerful kingpins of organized crime, with vast empires built on bootlegging, gambling, and other illegal activities.” Prior to Prohibition, gangsters operated independently, but during the 1920s, they became highly structured and well-organized enterprises.
Annotated Bibliography “How Prohibition Put the ‘Organized’ in Organized Crime.” History. Jan. 29, 2024. www.history.com/news/prohibition-organized-crime-al-capone. The main idea of this source is that prohibition made organized crime bigger by giving criminals a chance to make lots of money selling illegal drinks, which helped gangs become more organized and powerful.
In 1920, there were 1300 gangs in Chicago alone, all looking to make it rich from a dry city . Prohibition was able to develop gang culture and changed the perspective concerning organized crime. Due to the immense scale of these bootlegging operations, gangsters were forced to bribe police and government officials to turn a blind eye to their activity . Not only were these gangsters well paid and out of authoritative sight, but they became well liked by the general public. Gangsters were hailed as Robin Hood characters-- who bent the rules to appease the demands of the general public-- and dominated the various cities they provided drink to.
“Just as things were getting too hot for Capone in New York, he was invited to Chicago by Torrio, who said he needed a trusted man to help him run Big Jim Colosimo’s empire. Capone left for Chicago on the next train” (Maclean 68). “Prohibition became law in 1920 and soon bootlegging, the biggest racket of its time, was launched. It was destined to bring untold wealth to a few and unbridled violence and death to many” (Maclean 68).
Gangs were formed and bootlegging began to provide quick and easy money. Bootleggers were people who made and sold illegal alcohol. The price of alcohol soared. Many crime lords took notice and used it to their advantage. Al Capone was one of the most notorious crime mobsters in the 1920’s.
There were several reasons for organized crime. For one, jobs were scarce and becoming a part of organized crime was a dangerous but effective way of making money necessary to care for families. Also, once the Prohibition came about, people who drank despite the amendment and those who supplied the alcohol were both considered criminals. Three well-known figures of the organized crime community in the Roaring 20’s were Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde. Al Capone, former thug, would join his friend Johnny Torrio in Chicago after the death of Capone’s father.
One way that organized crime ran rampant through the 1920s is bootlegging, bootlegging was an illegal way of making alcohol because of the prohibition, which was a ban on all alcoholic beverages. In the 1920s, a major bootlegger and gangster was Al Capone ,others refer to him behind his back as "scar face", one of his main jobs was "The illegal sale of liquor, called bootlegging, became a growth industry, especially in urban areas such as Detroit, New York, and Chicago, where the
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.
Furthermore, the era paved the way for gangsters such as Al Capone, creating a culture of corruption and criminality that permeated American society. Organized crime syndicates capitalized on the opportunities presented by Prohibition to expand their illegal operations and establish sophisticated networks, reshaping the dynamics of law enforcement and governance. The impact of the Prohibition era on American history is undeniable, leaving a lasting imprint on the nation’s development and societal
Although crime existed prior to the prohibition era, it would see a new extent of the meaning throughout this time. Petty gangster began to monopolize the alcohol industry (illegally) and became millionaires by engaging in lucrative criminal operations. These criminal operations included bootlegging, speakeasies and smuggling. What was once a petty thug with little reign, now gained dominance throughout their community and managed to create a criminal empire that provides them with not only wealth, but power. This power could be seen with the merge of prohibition and the political machine in Chicago, thus creating the most notorious criminal organization in U,S, History, the mob.
