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The Prohibition: The Rise Of Organized Crime

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The Prohibition: The Rise Of Organized Crime
Prohibition: The Rise of Organized Crime
Prohibition in the United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages. The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. constitution took away the license to do business from the brewers, distillers, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages. The leaders of the prohibition movement were concerned with the drinking behavior of Americans and made an attempt to improve the country. Unfortunately, they were about to discover that making Prohibition the law had been one thing; enforcing it would be another. Therefore, causing a major problem in the United States. The result of prohibition led to higher …show more content…
The prohibition and the economic depression had a huge impact on people, causing an atmosphere of despair and criminal activity (Nash). Nash points out further in his article, “Jobs began to be scarce and people needed to find a way to provide for their families, gangsterism was dangerous, but an easy way to make money”. Alcohol was no longer legal and people turned to gangsters, who took on the bootlegging industry, therefore providing them with liquor (“Organized”). European crime syndicates and American mobsters were now looked upon as heroes (Nash). Furthermore, John Pearson states in article, while alcohol consumption reduced, criminals created a network for smuggling alcohol into the country, most likely from Canada. One author notes in his book that, “Prohibition had been the catalyst for transforming the neighborhood gangs of the 1920’s into smoothly run regional and national criminal operations” (Okrent 6732). Witwer claims, the gangs of criminals became more organized and had more money with which to work after the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. While prohibition was in full swing, criminal activity was increasing and gangsters were starting to develop their criminal …show more content…
"Capone to Kefauver: Organised Crime In America." History
Today Jun. 1987: 8. History Reference Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Mayo, Mike. "Mafia, The ("Cosa Nostra," "The Syndicate," "The Commission," Organized
Crime)." American Murder (2008): 209-212. History Reference Center. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Witwer, David. "The Rise Of Gangsters." Cobblestone. April 2006: 8-10. History Reference
Center. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Pearson, John. "The Roaring 20S & The Failure Of Prohibition." Prohibition in the United
States. Great Neck, 2009. History Reference Center. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Nash, Tim. “Organized Crime in the 1920’s and Prohibition.” The Finer Times. The Finer
Times, 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
“Mafia in the United States.” History.com. History.com, 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Buchanan, Edna. "Lucky Luciano.” Time. 7 Dec. 1998: 130. History Reference Center. Web.
19 Mar. 2014.
“Organized Crime and Prohibition.” University of Albany. University of Albany, n.d. Web.
19 Mar. 2014.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York, NY: Scribner,
2010. Print.
"Lucky Luciano." Biography.com. Biograpghy.com, 2014. Web. Apr 17
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