The Role Of Mobsters In The 1920s

Mobsters of the 1920’s During the early 1920's large groups of italian immigrants came to america. They started off as a couple of thousand but as word spread out about jobs more came. A couple thousand later became couple of hundreds of thousands. Most of them derived from Italy; as they did not have a stable economy,they came for a search of a better life. Government was overuleing as well and italians were not pleased with how their country was. After the wars began more and more people came to america in search of an “American Dream”. But within the big groups of people came over spies and criminals from italy. They started to create small neighborhood organizations. These organizations
were full of all types of criminals, find new ways to make money. These small organizations spread across america and later got a name known as the Mafia or Mobs, notorious for working in crime. The mafia expanded all over the United States, from west coast to east coast,cities were infiltrated with gangs. They were most commonly found in large cities; Mobs claimed there territories and protected those areas from anyone not familiar. The areas that they have taken over expanded from over just a corner to a whole neighborhood, they were named families by news articles. New York City was one of the most significant cities, with is including five of the most major families during the 1920's. Each had their own limited territory, for each family was a leader or head of the gang(“Infamous) . They mafia did all sorts of criminal activities; acts of assault and bootlegging for the most part.
They started off small with not much popularity going their way for bootlegging so instead they worked as hitmen. Hitmen are people sent to assassinate an individual for a price tag. The higher network a person had the more money their head was worth. Some killed to gain the money from head collectors. Furthermore they did several heist as well. Heist were usually a group of people sent on a mission to gather or steal money or an item of high value. This included bank robberies, drug smuggling and trading drug money in hidden areas
. Consequently, once popularity and money was made in the mafia they took action in a bigger business. The prohibition area arrive leaving the mafia a perfect chance to provide the people what they wished, alcohol. Not everyone was fond with the ban on alcohol at the time and the would look for ways to still drink. The mafia and other people came up with a way to smuggle illegal alcohol into stores across America. They became hidden bars known as “speakeasies” , they would be hidden in basements or hidden rooms in regular shops. To get in the bar you would need know a code or sort of password to get in, and people would stay out and watched for cops. If an undercover cop would happen to be able to get in the mobsters would simply bribe the police into keeping shut(“Infamous). In addition, their were mobsters who weren't the head of a family but they were easily the most famous mobster/ people of their time.
To begin, George Kelly Barnes also known as Machine Gun Kelly live his life as a bootlegger, small time bank robber , and kidnapper who ranged through Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico in the 1920s and '30s(“Machine”). Despite the hostile nickname Kelly was a minor criminal; committing small forms of bootlegging and joining a gang. But his kidnap of 1934 is what made him and infamous mobster . He later did bank robberies along with his wife. They were both sentence for life in prison. Kelly then died still in jail in 1954.
(Machine) Furthermore, Al Capone, one of the most widely known mafia member. Alphonse Gabriel Capone, also known as "Scarface" (January 17, 1899 to January 25, 1947) was one of the most famous American gangsters who rose to infamy as the leader of the Chicago Outfit during the Prohibition era. As a crime boss he was the biggest man in the game, from doing a variety of jobs as a criminal businessman. His network and notoriety was very high coming in at 1.3billion today(“Al Capon”) Therefore, mobsters played a big role in society and culture during the 1920’s. Crime was their game and was their way to get famous and rich at the time. Though it is clear that the mafia was substantial in its years, it is not as notorious or well known today. They are seen as the old bosses but they are not in power anymore. Thus, people known as mobsters were men working in the mafia who made up 19th century.(SeLf.)

Work Cited

“Infamous Mobsters.” Biography.com, A&ENetworks Television, 15 June 2016, www.biography.com/people/groups/mobsters.
“Al Capone.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 3 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/al-capone-9237536
“Machine Gun Kelly.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/machine-gun-kelly-507610.