al capone

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The very first person to open a soup kitchen after the stock market crash of 1929 was Al Capone. The very same as long time Chicago Public Enemy Number one. Not only is he known for his violent temper and illegal activities, but also his strong loyalty and honor. Throughout his life he did many terrible deeds and broke many laws, but he also helped a lot of people. Some people are conflicted on their judgement about Al Capone but it is quite obvious that he was very complex man. Al Capone had a well known reputation as a bad man; however, he is lesser known as a philanthropist to the Chicago area, where he made many positive contributions to the city (Chicago Historical Society).

Al Capone was a boy born on January 17, 1899 (Chicago Historical Society). He was born in the city of Brooklyn, New York. His given name was Alphonsus Capone from his Italian background, but everyone called him Al. Capone grew up in a truly poor neighborhood in Brooklyn. He was a very smart kid; however, he dropped out of school at the young age of fourteen. He was a member of two different child gangs. The names were the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty- thieves Juniors. The Forty- thieves Juniors were a young branch of the original Forty- thieves. Not only was he already part of child gangs, Capone also had many odd jobs in his life. Some examples of these jobs are a clerk in a candy store, pin boy in a bowling alley, cutter in a book bindery, Harvard Inn bouncer and bartender. As he grew up he was still tied into many bad things, but then he met Mary Coughlin. He met her at a dance in 1918. On December 4, 1918, she gave birth to their son Albert “Sonny” Francis. Capone and Coughlin were married on December 30, 1918 (Chicago Historical Society). His sid...

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...who opened the first soup kitchen when there were people in need. Capone ordered many merchants to give clothes and food to the people in need at his expense. This shows how he had equally a violent temper as a loyal heart (Chicago Historical Society). There is always the possibility that he could have done some of these philanthropists acts because he was trying to sway people in his favor, but no one can really know for sure. It is rather important to try and see the positive things Capone has done in his past so there is a good reminder of his life. The things he did to make him be remembered as “Scarface” also shaped him as a human being and an icon. Alphonsus Capone affected Illinois in both a positive and negative way; he will be remembered throughout history as both a positive and a negative public figure in Illinois even if he was not born or raised here.

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