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Occupation of Alcatraz
Occupation of Alcatraz
Research essay over alcatraz
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Alcatraz Before Capone In the early 17th century, a Miwokian Native American traverses a 22-acre island, searching for the eggs of pelicans and other seabirds (Weirde 1). This native is unaware of the cultural and global impact the small, desolate island will have. Around the same period of time, an Ohlone Native American is exiled for violating tribal ordinances (“Pre-1769”). This Native American is homologously unaware that the island he is exiled on will ironically be used for a much similar purpose in only a few centuries as a federal penitentiary. Most Americans now know this island as Alcatraz; however, the island’s use before it housed a federal penitentiary is not typically well-known. When a typical American hears “Alcatraz”, they conjure up images of a maximum-security prison, Al Capone, and many other stereotypicalities. On the contrary, Alcatraz has a surprisingly rich pre-prison history. Alcatraz’s Discovery …show more content…
The discovery came about by two Spanish explorers via land expedition: Captain Pedro Fages and Father Juan Crespi. The Captain-Pedro Fages-recorded the following in his journal, “Within the estuary we saw five islands, three of them making a triangle opposite the mouth, with a large distance between them; and the nearest of them to the channel at the mouth [Alcatraz] must have been over a league from it” (“An Introduction to Alcatraz Island”). Even though the island was first “discovered” in 1772, a European would not set foot on the island until a few years
A Spanish explorer named Juan Manuel de Ayala sailed into San Francisco Bay in 1775, to map and name Alcatraz Island, also known as Pelican Island due to the large population of sea birds. Years later our 13th U.S. President Millard Fillmore order that we reserved Alcatraz Island for military use. Later that year the military put one hundred
Gangsters of the 1920’s and 30’s are looked upon as “bad people”. The general assumption of people today, looking back at their criminal acts, is that these guys are cold blooded killers and cold blooded killers only. While that may be true, there was a side to some of them that we tend not to illuminate. A decent side. A helpful side. A side that would surprise many of those whose minds are set on the fact that all gangsters were absolutely terrible people. There is one infamous gangster however, who stuck out to me as a wrongfully convicted villain. While he did commit many brutal murders, robberies, and many other crimes, he had a side not many people knew about or dared to recognize. This man, was Al Capone. On the top of Chicago’s criminal spectrum, Capone is commonly viewed as a bad, bad man. Although I do agree that he was a killer, a thief, and clearly did not have the greatest history, he had a normal side to him as well. A side we could all relate to.
Alcatraz Island has quite a distinct history. Many people know that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, but most are reluctant to know that this island served as fort. Built before the Civil War, it served two main purposes. First, that it was to guard the San Francisco bay area from enemy ships against a foreign invasion, and second, to hold hostage prisoners of war or POW's as they were called. In this report, I'll show you how this fortress came to be a federal prison, why it is no longer in operation today, and most importantly, to show why it was built in the first place. When the great "Gold Rush" of 1849 first started, California grew from what would be considered a small, unpopulated state, into what it is now. California is now one of the most populated states and it was mostly the gold rush that brought attention to California. As the government saw all of this happening, they realized that California was much more important than they ever realized. In their realization, they decided that California must be protected. San Francisco has one of the largest bays in all of California, and so this was where enemy countries would most likely to try to invade the country. So this is where Alcatraz was to lie, to serve as a military fort. It was supposed to serve as a secondary base in companionship to another base located on the other side of Golden Gate Bridge. But with severe problems trying to build this other base, Alcatraz was to remain alone. "Out in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the island of Alcatraz is definitely a world unto itself. Isolation is just one of the many constants of island life for any inhabitant on Alcatraz Island. It is the most reoccurring theme in the unfolding history of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public. Visitors to the island can not only explore the remnants of the prison, but learn of the American occupation of 1969 - 1971, early military fortifications and the West Coast's first and oldest operating lighthouse. These structures stand among the island's many natural features - gardens, tidepools, bird nests, and bay views beyond compare." (1) Fortress Alcatraz ran in operation from 1850 - 1933. It served as San Fr...
Did Frank Morris, Clarence, and John Anglin escape from Alcatraz alive? These three inmates all had the dream of freedom. For months they planned an ingenious escape and finally were able to get off the island.(Lenny Flank). Once in the San Francisco Bay, they drowned in the frigid waters never to be seen again. Much evidence supports that the three men died while trying to get to shore. The objects found in the water prove that Frank Morris, Clarence, and John Anglin did not survive their attempt to escape Alcatraz because of the freezing waters and strong tidal currents. Although, they died in the Bay, they had a brilliant escape plan.
The three inmates died trying to escape Alcatraz because the waters of the San Francisco Bay are too dangerous. .According to the text the waters are infested with sharks. If the prisoners tried to escape they could have gotten bit or eaten by sharks. They wouldn’t have lived
The history of Alcatraz Island reveals the many changes the island went through while serving its different roles. Originally, when Spanish explorers first discovered the island in the 16th century they gave it the name Alcatraces, meaning "pelican" or "strange bird" (Finckenauer). Alcatraces later transformed into the English-favored word
Three men go down in history as the escapees of the “most notorious escapees” of the “inescapable” Alcatraz prison located on the San Francisco Bay, in California. On an island two miles away from the bay, with rushing currents no one had escaped successfully prior to Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin (also referred to as the Anglin Brothers). The prison staff reasoned that by being the only prison to offer hot water showers, inmates would be acclimated to hot water, therefore escapees could not tolerate the freezing waters of the bay, in turn they would be unsuccessful. However, this was proven otherwise by Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, as they would dig through prison vents, build a boat, make decoys and swim to freedom.
The thought of Alcatraz started in the 1920’s when gangsters were fighting and killing just about everyone they saw that posed a threat. This was happening because they had made a new law. This law was called the National Prohibition Act. Even though it was illegal so many people wanted to buy alcohol. So the criminals ruled. Some criminals started to sneak alcohol in from other countries. Soon after that Illegal bars opened. This caused a lot of trouble. People couldn’t contain these “super gangsters.” They kept selling the alcohol and making a greater, and greater profit. Most of them lived like kings, they paid the police and local politicians to leave them alone. Even from regular prisons they controlled everything, criminals ruled they paid the guards and kept in touch with their people on the outside. This was when Homer C. Cummings made Alcatraz. This place was for the toughest of the tough. In this essay I will explain Alcatraz.
On June 11, 1962, three men were reported missing from the Alcatraz Federal Prison. To this day, nobody knows what happened to them. Using the evidence provided, it is impossible to determine whether the three inmates successfully escaped from Alcatraz.
In this essay, I plan to give the reader a brief description of the escape attempts, in order of the date attempted. Alcatraz was built in 1847. The first attempt occurred in April 27, 1936. While burning trash at the incinerator, Joe Bowers started climbing up and over the fence at the edge of the island. “After refusing to climb back down, Bowers was shot by an officer stationed in the West road guard tower, then fell about 50-100 feet to the shore below.” (unknown) He died from his
On Alcatraz, there were two prisons, and neither have withstood the catechization of time. Moreover, the first prison on Alcatraz was built, but seldom used for its sole purpose. This first prison was decommissioned before Johnston was building the much more ameliorate prison over the top of the old one. After the prison was finished with being fabricated, Johnston handpicked the best, most incomparable guards from around the United States from other prisons. And that’s when Alcatraz was just in a genesis state with nullity
With the $10.00 I had stashed away I bought our meal for the two day with a decent amount of mazuma left over. The time had come to get off the train and we no transportation we couldn’t get around. For we left the truck back at the station.
Alcatraz was once called one of the “Supermax Prison,” this was because it was a big place but not a lot of prisoners lived there.There was not a lot of inmates there that lived or served a lifetime, because it was for the people who were really dangerous. When all the deaths were happening there at Alcatraz people were starting to wonder about the safety there at Alcatraz. They also had to shut down Alcatraz, which wasn't open for a very long time and hasn't opened since but they do tours. But people say, “To this day the ghosts of the people who died there still remain haunting the place.”
The most important person would have to be Juan Manuel de Ayala because he mapped and named Alcatraz. Then John Charles Fremont bought the island in 1846 which would cause the government to reserve it for a military prison. While the military prison was being built James Birdseye McPherson had supervised the final bits being worked on which was a job that he hated the most. After the military prison shut down and it became a federal penitentiary, James A. Johnston was the first warden of Alcatraz, chosen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. For about every three inmates Alcatraz housed he had hired a warden.
Can you beat The Rock? On the night of January 11, 1962, three escapees, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris attempted the most famous escape attempt ever, from Alcatraz. Alcatraz was a maximum security prison on the San Francisco Bay. It was located at the closest a mile from all land. It was a military fort in the 1840’s and a military prison in the 1860’s. It later closed in 1963 due to money errors. (Hopkinson).It was reopened by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1934 for the worst prisoners. The prisoners had a clever escape plan. With lots of confusion and evidence there many theories, including life or death. With the one prisoners bodies found the, the bag of personal items, and the other bodies never found, the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris could not have escaped from the maximum-security prison, they died.