Mob Life In The 1930's Analysis

It is often believed that history is best learned from those who have experienced it firsthand. That being the case, I found it most fitting to learn about mob life in New York during the 1930’s from a man who lived it: Mr. Billy Bathgate. Billy was merely a teenager when he got roped into probably one of the most exhilarating, nerve-racking incidents anyone could ever encounter; he was part of a mob. Billy recalls so many vivid memories about the 1930’s because of his experience with Dutch Schultz, the infamous mob leader. However, not only was I able to learn about mob life, but also tenement life, and a little bit of pop culture. Through listening to Billy’s stories we can learn a lot about life during the 1930’s in New York. To begin the interview, I decided to get a better idea of the Bronx, the area in which Billy grew up in. Through his response I learned many things. During the Depression times were rough. There wasn’t much for teenage boys to do, so …show more content…
Though Prohibition was no longer in effect during the 1930’s, Dutch still preferred to frighten his customers. “..in Mr. Schultz’s min his enterprise was an independent kingdom of his own law, not society’s, and that it was all the same to him whatever was legal or illegal, he would run things the way he thought they ought to be run, and f*** woe to anybody who got in his way”. (25)
According to Billy, Dutch Schultz’s actions and schemes often landed him front page on the newspapers. However, these headlining articles were not always accurate. (104) This took place in an era where journalism was just making it big and becoming more “scandalous”, so to speak. Billy informed me that it was through this phase of popular culture and these newspapers that the nation kept up-to-date with current events. He even remembers some of the papers, for example News, Herald Tribune, and Mirror.