The Untouchables: Volstead Act During The 1920's

The Untouchables
During 1920s-30s the prohibition era restricted the sale of alcohol, referred to as the eighteenth amendment; Volstead act. Many people approved of the bill and some were against it, but it had to be done to prevent further harm to society, and themselves. The temperance movement helped to get the prohibition law in made into a bill. The movement was organized to limit the consumption of alcohol from people who became intoxicated all the time, and to protect children and families from suffering financially. According to Archives.gov, “The Women's Christian Temperance Union pledged not only to ban alcohol and drugs, but to improve public morals. The anti-Saloon League was formed in 1893 and eventually became a powerful political

He was a thirty-three year old man who was basically the “CEO” of illegal alcohol production; bootlegging. He was born in New York City, and grew up to be a bouncer, he later moved to Chicago, and became a bodyguard. He worked for a man named Johnny Torrio who was a “Criminal Syndicate” supplying illegal alcohol. A conflict arose with another gang almost killing Torrio causing him to step down, and Al Capone to step up. Al Capone ends up expanded the business of bootlegging, but doing so violently. Capone was safe some trouble because he had a relationship with the mayor of Chicago, and the police meaning that he had connections. Other gangs had ruined Chicago’s image while dealing with Capone, therefore making the city want to redirect, and gain back their good image. The authorities were now set on taking Al Capone down, but when they knew he was never going to get caught it became difficult. They came in another direction, and got him for tax evasion, and this was the start of finally getting rid of him. The judge used evidence from Al Capone’s receipts of trying to pay the government back what he owed, so he plead “Not guilty” reducing his sentencing. This did not go over well with other authorities, and the judge had changed everything. Al Capone’s attorney told him to pledge “Guilty” which he was sentenced to eleven years in prison. He became sick with Syphilitic Dementia,

Britannica.com Says, “The national American crime syndicate, the Mafia, arose out of the coordinated activities of Italian bootleggers and other gangsters in New York City in the late 1920s and early ’30s.” Smuggling became very prominent because people wanted to continue to make money off of the illegal sale of alcohol. What they failed to realize is that one day they will get caught, and it may not be now, but eventually. Archives.gov says, “The illegal production and distribution of liquor, or bootlegging, became rampant, and the national government did not have the means or desire to try to enforce every border, lake, river, and speakeasy in America. In fact, by 1925 in New York City alone there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs. The demand for alcohol was outweighing (and out-winning) the demand for sobriety. People found clever ways to evade Prohibition agents. They carried hip flasks, hollowed canes, false books, and the like. While Prohibition assisted the poor factory workers who could not afford liquor, all in all, neither federal nor local authorities would commit the resources necessary to enforce the Volstead Act.” Crime became worse because there were people Like Al Capone who thought that because they had connection to the law enforcement, they could get away with anything. These people had the kind of power in their community by