Prohibition,_the_Begining_of_Organized_Crime

Prohibition, The Beginning of Organized Crime Prohibition is a time period that some consider to be dark ages and bad times for America. It all started with the temperance movements, which believed alcohol was a main contributing factor in bad home life, divorce, and physical abuse of women and children. Alcohol was also believed to be harmful to physical and mental health. Prohibition started with the passing of the 18th amendment, which outlawed the sale, making, and distribution of alcohol. 46 of the 48 states voted in favor of the bill, with Connecticut and Rhode Island being the two to vote against it. When the bill passed, the public demand for alcohol rose even more. This lead to bootlegging and organized crime. Bootlegging consisted of selling alcohol illegally. These bootleggers were supplied by moonshiners, people and rumrunners. Rumrunners were people who would illegally bring alcohol into the country by ship, they included a whole crew and very smart captains who were able to avoid the coast guard. Moonshiners were people who illegally made alcohol. Most moonshine operations were up in mountains where it was difficult for police to find, let alone catch them. The origin of the name comes from people who would make homemade whiskey by moonlight. They would make it at night so they wouldn’t get caught. Now that there were bootleggers, rumrunners, and moonshiners, people needed a place to drink all this liquor without being caught. Thats where speakeasies came in. Speakeasies were illegal bars that were difficult for law enforcement to find. They sold beer, wine, and liquor, and required a secret code, handshake, or knock to get in. Speakeasies were for anybody, from the average joe to politicians and law officers. Places like the 21 Club and the Cotton Club played host to a variety of famous people. Thanks to speakeasies a new culture arose. Women started to enter the party scene, and the Jazz Age blossomed here. Artists such as Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, and Duke Ellington rose to fame for their music. Getting alcohol from the bootleggers or rumrunners could cause problems for a lot of speakeasies. Thats how organized crime got its start. Gangsters like Al Capone would not only transport the alcohol, but eliminate anyone who got in his way. Al Capone created on of the biggest organized crime empires off bootlegging. He got his start by working for a friends mentor, named John Torrio, who saw potential in Capone. He became Torrios number two man in his bootlegging business and soon became a full partner in running saloons, gambling houses, and brothels. When Torrio was shot and left Chicago, Capone inherited the “outfit” and became the leader. He showed better leadership and organizing skills than Torrio and his influence over the world of bootlegging gained him great power. It was at one point estimated he made over $100,000,000 a year from his efforts. Capones operation became one of the most successful in the prohibition era, earning him disfavor among many Americans. He was never caught for bootlegging, but did receive jail time for tax evasion. After serving his 11 year sentence in jail he retired to his florida home. After 14 years of raised crime rates, more people drinking than ever before, and more violence due to the gangs, the 21st amendment was passed, which repealed the 18th. Alcohol was once again legal. Many people were very happy about the passing of this amendment. Some, however, were not. John D Rockefeller was one of those people. In a 1932 letter, he wrote “When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before.” Alcohol consumption today is gradually declining and since 1980, it has been almost cut in half among teenagers.