Gangsterism In The 1920's

Gangsterism In The 1920'S

“The Roaring Twenties,”; what a perfect aphorism. It was certainly roaring with music and dance, but it also was roaring with gangsters. In the aspect of gangsterism, the thirties were also roaring. Americans in this time period tolerated criminals, especially those involved in bootlegging. Bootlegging is the smuggling of illegal substances. Bootlegging could have possibly been tolerated because of the recent outlaw of alcohol during this time period, known as the Prohibition. Gangsters were involved in bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, organized crime, and racketeering. Al “Scarface “ Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and John Dillinger were the headliners of this era. Gangsterism provided a risky job but maximum rewards in a
Leaders from all of the major crime syndicates attended. At the meeting, they made agreements on boundaries and a their “government” to make sure relations between groups were peaceful. Anyone who broke these rules were, again, dealt with…very harshly. One of the most famous crime bosses ever was Al Capone. His nickname was “scarface.” which is used as a nickname in many mobster movies. He had his own army…seven thousand strong. He owned ten thousand speakeasies, and he was involved in all of the traditional gangster activities such as prostitution and gambling. Many politicians and police officers were on the payroll of Capone. Because of his one-hundred million dollar annual income, he had no problem maintaining this kind of lifestyle. Capon’s most famous quote is “When I sell liquor, it’s bootlegging. When my patrons serve it on silver trays on Lake Shore Drive, it’s hospitality.” In 1929, a rival boss, Bugs Moran, began to infringe on Capone’s territory. He sent some of his “boys”, disguised as police officers, to one of Moran’s drop-off spots for alcohol. They disarmed Moran’s men and then sprayed many rounds in to their bodies, ending Moran’s career as a gangster. This is known as the