Crime in 1920s notes

Gangsters-Although the term "gangster" is used for any criminal from the 1920s or 30s that operated in a
group, it refers to two different breeds.
How they make money:
i.

ii.

The 18th Amendment had banned the sale, transportation and manufacture of alcohol in
America. But it was clear to some, that millions neither wanted this law nor would respect it.
There was obviously a huge market for what in the 1920's was an illegal commodity.
It was the gangsters who dominated various cities who provided this commodity. Each major
city had its gangster element but the most famous was Chicago with Al Capone.

Famous Gangsters:
i.
ii.

Al Capone was perhaps the most notorious gangster in history.

Capone was seen by many as a heartless brute that stole and murdered, but to a few he was
seen as a modern Robin hood due to several donations made to charities with the stolen
money.

Rivalry:
i.
ii.

Often, powerful gangs would terrorize other inferior gangs in order to steal a certain
percentage of their profits.
The inferior gangs found themselves faced with the proposition of either being killed and
having their businesses destroyed by means such as bombing, or 'donating' some of their
proceeds to the superior gangs

Mobsters- Mobsters belonged to organized crime rings.

Living area:
i.
ii.

They generally lived in large cities, and most were immigrants, or children of immigrants.
Outlaws typically came from rural areas in the Midwest, Southwest, or the West.

How they get away:

i.
ii.

Many of these criminal gangs were protected by urban politicians and police.
They could use the organized rings to pay for hide-outs and police protection. They could
also arrange for legal assistance or medical care.

Bootlegging- is an informal term for the smuggling, sale, or transport of illicit goods.
Prohibition
i.
ii.

Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect
individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse.
But the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused
millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality.

Speakeasies
i.
ii.

speakeasies illegal bars sprouted up quickly

They were given their unique name for the need to whisper, or "speak easy," as patrons
attempted to cross their illegal thresholds.

21st Amendment
i.
ii.

In 1933, widespread public disillusionment led Congress to ratify the 21st Amendment,
which repealed Prohibition.
The movement reached its apex in 1920 when Congress ratified the 18th Amendment,
prohibiting the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors.