The 1920’s was a pivotal time in the development of the United States and all of its current glory and reputation. The era known as “The Roaring Twenties” was a time in the 1920’s in which America experienced a major economic boom and political expansions. Women began to enjoy a freer lifestyle and the banning of alcohol occurred. This led to the time of prohibition and bootleggers, in which gangsters would smuggle alcohol into the country to make the thirsty Americans happy. This saw an extreme rise in the American underworld and organized crime. Organized crime in the 1920’s served as platform which has now allowed it to thrive in the present day. It affected the people of the 1920’s, created struggle of law and government enforcement and
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Organized crime affected the people of the 1920’s in ways that changed the their lives. The American mobsters thrived in this era, mainly because of the law that changed about alcohol, but also because of the amount of members the groups were attracting. Due to the low number of jobs, people began to turn towards criminal activity. The people of America needed to provide for their families which led them to becoming a part of organized crime. Although dangerous, people needed the money. Immigrants began to come into the cities of America. Populations of cities were growing because of the criminal groups swarming the streets. The business was a draw for immigrants coming into cities of America because of its quick and easy method of money making in their new country. In New York City alone, 250 000 immigrants lived in the city and by 1910, that number had jumped to 500,000 immigrants and …show more content…
The government banned the drinking of alcohol in 1920 to resolve the supposed issues creating personal and social problems, along with crime and violence. With hope that it would eradicate these problems, it led to higher crime rates and more excessive violence. This became a major problem for law enforcement as they attempted to remove the entry of illegal alcohol. With a large coastline it was almost impossible to police, with only 5% of alcohol ever being confiscated (Nash). The law and government put prohibition together to reduce these crimes, but it ultimately became a failure. “The public grew less respectful of the law. Drunk driving increased and public drunkenness also increased” (Nash). As organized crime grew in America, the politicians and police began to lose control of their country. The economy began to fall so the politicians and police began to accept bribes given to them by criminals. “This corruption in the government system allowed organized crime to grow as it did, for any officials that stood in the way of the criminal activities could often be 'bought out' (Hales & Kazemers 2). The law and government faced a great challenge and they almost became non-existent within America. They struggled to keep up with organized crime. The law has come back to strength in the present day, but continues to struggle with organized crime in the streets of
Organized crime affected the people of the 1920’s in ways that changed the their lives. The American mobsters thrived in this era, mainly because of the law that changed about alcohol, but also because of the amount of members the groups were attracting. Due to the low number of jobs, people began to turn towards criminal activity. The people of America needed to provide for their families which led them to becoming a part of organized crime. Although dangerous, people needed the money. Immigrants began to come into the cities of America. Populations of cities were growing because of the criminal groups swarming the streets. The business was a draw for immigrants coming into cities of America because of its quick and easy method of money making in their new country. In New York City alone, 250 000 immigrants lived in the city and by 1910, that number had jumped to 500,000 immigrants and …show more content…
The government banned the drinking of alcohol in 1920 to resolve the supposed issues creating personal and social problems, along with crime and violence. With hope that it would eradicate these problems, it led to higher crime rates and more excessive violence. This became a major problem for law enforcement as they attempted to remove the entry of illegal alcohol. With a large coastline it was almost impossible to police, with only 5% of alcohol ever being confiscated (Nash). The law and government put prohibition together to reduce these crimes, but it ultimately became a failure. “The public grew less respectful of the law. Drunk driving increased and public drunkenness also increased” (Nash). As organized crime grew in America, the politicians and police began to lose control of their country. The economy began to fall so the politicians and police began to accept bribes given to them by criminals. “This corruption in the government system allowed organized crime to grow as it did, for any officials that stood in the way of the criminal activities could often be 'bought out' (Hales & Kazemers 2). The law and government faced a great challenge and they almost became non-existent within America. They struggled to keep up with organized crime. The law has come back to strength in the present day, but continues to struggle with organized crime in the streets of