Gangsters of the 1920's
Group 5: Brayden, Brooke, and Marcel
Gangsters rise in the 1920's
- Majority of famous gangsters in this time era started at early ages of about 16 or 17 years old.
- In the 1920's, the typical American gangster managed murder, gambling, robbery, prostitution, black market drugs and illegal sale of alcohol also known as bootlegging.
- Chicago and especially New York at the time were highlighted with speakeasies, gangsters, and increase in crime do to the 18th amendment - Prohibition of alcohol.
- Bootlegging was the gangster's illegal means for their need for fast and quick cash.
- Beer was accessed fairly easily because could be brewed within the United States. Hard alcohol required retrieval from Canada through Detroit, Michigan.
- Their bootlegging 'business' frequently became violent consider this gangs were filled with aggressive criminals.
- Becoming a part of this mafia not only involved money but Italian heritage.
- These gangs were structured by a hierarchy including a boss, underboss, caporegime, soldiers, and associates.
- Machine Gun Kelly well known for his bootlegging and kidnapping a millionaire who owned an oil company.
- One major gangster and boss was the infamous Al Capone, also know as Scarface, earning about 100 million dollars through gambling and illegal sales of alcohol.
Sources:
"Mafia in the United States." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2016.
Chamernik, Mike. "Top 5 Gangsters of Chicago." Concierge Preferred. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"Al Capone Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Hidden Secrets: Gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s. " Top Documentary Films. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.