Bootlegging And Organized Crime In The 1920's

America was going through some dark and turbulent times throughout the twenties and thirties. The Great Depression was sinking in and many American’s could not find an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. Moreover, alcohol was deemed illegal to consume, purchase, or sell anywhere in the country. All of the privately owned distilleries that were once legit and lucrative business had to close its doors. However, when these doors closed, another opened. The introduction of bootlegging and organized crime quickly made its presence known in the early 20th century. The “Black Market” era that contained the Prohibition concepts that Congressmen deemed necessary created an illegal market that was so immense that even law enforcement officers

Bootleggers had to figure out how to get their alcohol safely into the Atlantic ports. One way that the East Coast market used was having the large international vessel remain stationary in international waters. Once it was set, smaller boats that could move swiftly made their way to international waters, retrieved the goods and downloaded within the ports. Also, merchants would intentionally hide liquor within containers that had no contraband within them. There had to be some type of organization for distributing alcohol across the country. However, nationally organized crime would only last but for so long during the Prohibition Era and violence would erupt. During the early years of prohibition, mafias across the country were making a plentiful amount of money. Business was booming, everyone wanted their cocktails, clubs were still packed with patrons buying and drinking alcohol, and many law enforcement agents were turning a “blind eye” when alcohol was present. Violence was at a minimum

These men, who have plenty of blood on their hands, would eventually be the originators of organized crime on how we see it today. The young Al Capone would eventually become the leader of the underworld. For all his power, Capone still had enemies from other surviving gangs in the city. He drove everywhere in an armored plated limousine and wherever he went, so did his armed bodyguards. Violence was a daily occurrence in Chicago. 227 gangsters were killed in the space of 4 years and on St Valentine's Day, 1929, 7 members of the O'Banion gang were shot dead by gangsters dressed as police officers.[3]. All of this violence was making its way across the country and would continue as long as alcohol was illegal for sale. By this time, the Federal Government finally had enough and started cracking down on organized crime. The violence was out of control and the FBI was finally presiding over the nation’s catastrophe. Furthermore, America could not get behind Prohibition even with its pure intention could not grasp the concept of an alcohol free country. [4] In 1933, Prohibition was finally repealed, and alcohol was finally legal. It did not end organized crime, it actually made