Prohibition and Organized Crime Prohibition n Progressives had
Prohibition and Organized Crime
Prohibition n Progressives had called on a ban on alcohol n To combat crime, family violence, and poverty th n 18 Amendment – prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages n Ratified in 1919
Speakeasies n Speakeasies – Bars that illegally sold alcohol n Many made their own liquor or purchased bootlegged alcohol from Mexico and Canada n New York City: est. 30, 000 to 100, 000 speakeasies
Bootlegging n Making, transporting, or selling illegal alcoholic beverages n Became one of the decade’s most profitable businesses n Led to the development of organized crime in cities like Chicago n Rumrunner – cross state lines n Moon-shiner – work at night
The Development of Organized Crime n Due to profit potential many wanted to bootleg n Al Capone – n Ruled Chicago’s bootlegging scene with his mob n Made over $120 million per year
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre n The peak of Chicago’s prohibition gang wars n Capone’s gang publicly killed seven members of a rival Moran gang
Elliot Ness & The Untouchables n Hired by the Federal Prohibition Bureau n Refused to ignore bootlegging like many corrupt local police n Ended Capone’s reign in 1931 on income tax evasion
“Doubts raced through my mind as I considered the feasibility of enforcing a law, which the majority of honest citizens didn’t seem to want. ” -Elliot Ness
Prohibition n Positives: n Alcoholism declined n Alcohol related deaths declined n Negatives: n Led to widespread breakdown of the law n Turned millions of otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals
st 21 Amendment n 1933 – Franklin Roosevelt th n Repealed the 18 amendment and ended prohibition
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