Al Capone
What impact did he have on society?
Who was Al Capone?
Al Capone was a notorious gangster who ran an organized crime syndicate in Chicago during the 1920s, taking advantage of the era of Prohibition. Capone, who was both charming and charitable as well as powerful and vicious, became an iconic figure of the successful American gangster.
Gang leader:
Through a series of "efficient" murders of criminal enemies, Capone became the primary lieutenant of Johnny Torrio, another member of the Five Points Gang, who had moved to Chicago in 1915. With Capone's help he began a concerted effort to gain control of the newly established illegal-liquor racket. When Torrio was permanently disabled in 1925 after an assassination attempt by a rival gang, "Big Al" Capone assumed direct control of the organization. Other bootleggers operated in Chicago in the 1920s, but Capone was more ruthless, greedy, shrewd, and systematic than the rest. He was suspected of being behind nearly two hundred killings in Chicago during the decade. He acquired such notorious henchmen as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, August "Augie Dogs" Pisano, and Louis "Luigi" Morganno. He also managed to achieve working relationships with various powerful Chicago politicians, particularly Mayor William "Big Bill" Thompson.
Outside with the public
The amazing thing about Scarface was that he never did hide his face from the public eye and even promoted good publicity from time to time. This wasn't possible without Al befriending a newspaper editor in the likes of Harry Read. The latter had convinced the “King of Chicago” to go all public and be a prominent figure. It is only then that Alphonse Capone won the hearts of the people. He continued on being nice to them and stopped hiding himself in the dark alleys of a gangster life.
Work Cited
"Al Capone." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. Biography in Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"Alphonse Capone." DISCovering Biography. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Karamanski, T. J. (2006, The Legend of Scarface. Chicago History, , 4-19. Retrieved From http://sks.sirs.com
Karamanski, Theodore J. "The Legend of Scarface." Chicago History. Spring 2006: 4-19. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"Alphonse Capone." DISCovering Biography. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Karamanski, T. J. (2006, The Legend of Scarface. Chicago History, , 4-19. Retrieved From http://sks.sirs.com
Karamanski, Theodore J. "The Legend of Scarface." Chicago History. Spring 2006: 4-19. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
So how did he impact society?
I think his most important and lasting impact is that he showed laws cannot be made which go against the will of the people
It was the Holstead act that banned the sale of alcohol, but the people wanted alcohol. As there was a market which could not be filled legally, then Capone and others stepped in to fill that market.
As it was illegal then automatically they were breaking the law in doing so, but since the public wanted the goods and saw no harm in alcohol they overlooked the illegality and nearly all the people killed during Capone's "reign" were opposing gangsters.
It was only after the repeal of the Holstead act (making it legal to sell alcohol again) that the gang wars virtually disappeared.
The will of the people had made itself felt.
It was the Holstead act that banned the sale of alcohol, but the people wanted alcohol. As there was a market which could not be filled legally, then Capone and others stepped in to fill that market.
As it was illegal then automatically they were breaking the law in doing so, but since the public wanted the goods and saw no harm in alcohol they overlooked the illegality and nearly all the people killed during Capone's "reign" were opposing gangsters.
It was only after the repeal of the Holstead act (making it legal to sell alcohol again) that the gang wars virtually disappeared.
The will of the people had made itself felt.