Organized Crimes Of Prohibition During The 1920's

During the the Prohibition Era the United States banned the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages through the eighteenth amendment. The eighteenth amendment caused the rise of organized crimes. Then there was the World Series fixing incidence were eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing to gain money. Or the Harding Administration and the Teapot Scandal. The Harding Administration was when Harding appointed his poker friends to his cabinet and they used their power to gain money for themselves and the Teapot Scandal where they profited from secret private oil companies. During the 1920s there was many of illegal activities such as organized crimes caused by prohibition, the World Series
Therefore, abstinence and prohibition was highly encouraged to get people to stop drinking. Consuming these intoxicating liquors caused “diseases of the heart, liver, stomach, and kidney”. Alcohol also hurts children because drunk parents tend to be abusive towards others even if they are loved ones. It was also seen that there were 18% defective children due to their mother's drinking while pregnant (Scientific Temperance and American Issue Publishing Company). The 18th amendment which was ratified on January 16, 1919 along with the Volstead Act which was a “law passed to enforce prohibition” was a main part of prohibition (Perry). This amendment made people view those who drank as criminals regardless if they were extremely friendly; those who were alcoholics could not ask for help because they would end up in jail. Due to the fact that Americans were not allowed to obtain alcohol made them a thousand times more desperate to acquire it. Which is what caused the rise of organized
They either had to join in organized crimes, gangs, or obtain a lower paying job. At the time jobs were scarce, so many preferred to partake in bootlegging, which is the illegal production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Usually bootleggers sold the rum in illegal bars called speakeasies. Bill McCoy was a rum runner smuggler during the Prohibition (Perry). Although, the alcohol sold in the speakeasies was not made in companies and poisoned many; many still desired to get a hold of it. These “home products were of poor quality however, people were very inventive about the making of home alcohol” mainly because it was prohibited which made people want it more than ever. “The quality of alcohol was poor and many people became sick, deaths from alcohol poisoning had risen 400%” (Nash). Prohibition was essentially a failure; public drunkenness increased. Due to the fact that men were getting drunk often wives feared they would abuse their children (Foner 731). Along with the rise of bootleggers came the rise of gangs. Gangsterism was dangerous, but it was an easy way to gain money. Al Capone became public enemy number one (Perry). He was responsible for many brutal acts in violence, and inspired many to do so aswell (History.com). He operated bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling businesses. All of his actions inspired many movie producers and writers to produce a