1920's Organized Crimes

The 1920’s was an era of growth, modernization, and technological revolution as well as the advancement of organized crime. Long before the start of the prohibition there were small time racketeers but nobody payed close attention to them or really cared what they had to offer. The major shift in popularity came in the early 1920’s when organized crime became increasingly commercial. Daily headlines in the newspaper transitioned from movie reviews to the previous night’s bloody massacre.The initial thought process of lawmakers during this time period was that the ban on alcohol would reduce crime and restore peace to large cities; this gained the opposite effect. Instead of alleviated crime and poverty, the 18th Amendment increased crime and …show more content…
Money made from bootlegging alcohol, along with many other crimes, was the major contributor to the success of large organized gangs and is what fueled the ambition of their leaders. “Previously, gangs often were based in particular neighborhoods, and membership usually was determined by ethnicity”(Witwer). The 18th amendment caught the attention of a lot of small time family-run immigrant gangs that saw profit in the business. “The demand for alcohol -- even though it was against the law -- spurred the growth of crime groups who supplied this illegal product” (Witwer). Most of these gangs could easily bribe the local municipalities to look the other way when caught red-handed bootlegging alcohol. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the police usually had no other choice but to take whatever bribe a gang offered them due to …show more content…
Despite having been a promising student, he was expelled at the age of 14 for hitting a female teacher. He started out in a small gang as an illegal brothel bouncer and he met a man named Johnny Torrio who introduced him to the racketeering business and taught him everything he knew about organized crime. These two decided to base their business in Chicago, Illinois. “Torrio also taught Capone the importance of maintaining a respectable front, while running a racketeering business”(Biography). Over time, after Torrio handed Capone his entire business down to him after he retired, Capone and his men gradually began to start controlling all the liquor trade throughout Chicago. “Ironically, Capone took on the role of peacemaker, appealing to the other gangsters to tone down their violence”(Biography.com). This was to keep down notoriety so the police wouldn't snoop to far down into their business and risk the gangs integrity. That soon wasn't the case after many other rival gangs started claiming territory and Capone started to fight back very aggressively. Capone got the nickname “Scarface” after a fight with a gang member in which his face got slashed with a knife. As Capone made more and more headlines even president Hoover wanted Capone thrown in Prison no matter the cost. “Before being sent to Alcatraz Prison in 1931 from a tax evasion conviction, he had amassed a personal