Gangsters In The 1920’s

4 Pages 982 Words

Gangsters in The 1920’s

The twenties was a time of change in the Untied States. One of the changes the occurred was prohibition. Alcohol was part of America's culture and its people did not want to stop drinking. Prohibition forced open the country's doors to the most ruthlessly resourceful and crooked entrepreneurs: The Mob. Realizing there was a demand for alcohol, organized crime factions began making their own beer and liquor (booze, bathtub gin). Many oversaw the transportation of illegal liquor from across the Canadian border. Gangs were tolerated in the beginning by the general public because of this service they provided, but they were not ready for the consequences that they provided as well.
Gangsters were involved in bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, organized crime, and racketeering. Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and John Dillinger were some of the big names involved in this era. Being a gangster was a very risky job but it provided substantial rewards for a nation dying to spend money and also during a time when jobs were scarce in the middle of a depression (in the 30’s).
When Congress passed the eighteenth amendment, alcohol was banned in every way from America. People who were addicted to alcohol and even those who were accustomed to the casual drink still had a demand for it. Many would pay top dollar for booze; they didn’t think obtaining alcohol was morally wrong as it was legal just a few years back. Citizens would hold hush-hush socials and would serve alcohol to all of the company; this was usually done by the wealthy because of the high cost of alcohol. This create opportunities for those prepared to gamble and bootleg illegal alcohol to the country.
Accumulating large amounts of money, greed began to grow. They continued to venture into other areas were the general public like to indulge themselves. These gangsters began to open speakeasies, which were like old west taverns with prostitution, g...