American Mafia Research Paper

American organized crime (or the Mafia/Mob as it is known by some) begins not in the streets of Manhattan or Chicago or other big cities as some like to think. It begins as the seemingly innocent protection of Sicilian landowners when they are away from their farms. By the 1800’s, these ‘protectors’ had become corrupt, bullying people for their so-called protection and running other illegal activities all throughout Sicily. When the laws of Benito Mussolini became increasingly strict, so strict that their illegal activities became hard to run, many of these men moved to the United States where they could continue to bully people and make their money the way they had been doing for years. This is where the ‘American Mafia’ begins. It is believed
Luciano started his prostitution racket in 1920 and by 1925 he had control over most of the prostitution in Manhattan. In 1929, an attempt to take his life was made but he miraculously survived the brutal attack, which caused him to make a big move. He gathered all his power, and eliminated all opposing "bosses" and by 1935, “Lucky” Luciano was considered "The Boss of Bosses." He was now the model mobster, running businesses and controlling crime all across America. He was also very influential in labor and union activities and controlled the Manhattan Waterfront, garbage hauling, construction, Garment Center businesses, and trucking.
Luciano also organized “the Commission” in 1931, even now still the governing body of the Mafia in the United States. It was meant to minimize gang wars and while it did succeed to a point, it didn’t get rid of all rivalries. It was (and still is, in theory) headed by the five biggest crime families in the country, the Bonanno’s, the Gambino’s, the Columbo’s, the Genovese’s, and the
He spent the last year of his term at Alcatraz in the prison hospital and was then sent to another, lower security prison to serve a one year misdemeanor charge. He was released in 1939, spent a short time in a hospital, and then returned to his home in Palm Island, Florida. He no longer had interests in the crime families when he was released, mostly because of his physical and mental decline. In early January of 1947 he suffered a stroke, but appeared to be improving after that. In a month though, he had contracted pneumonia which caused cardiac arrest and led to his death on January 24, 1947. What can be determined from these four men is that their desire to thrive in their new home was strong. Though going the criminal route may not have been the route most immigrants would have gone, many did, and it obviously served these men well in the short run. In the long run, it was bad for more than half as the only one to survive into his “golden years” was Meyer Lansky. Put these men and others together and they were a formidable force to be messed with. Even apart, you would do well to not get on their bad