Organized Crime Within The USA During the Prohibition Era

Prohibition

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The early 1920's in the United States was a time filled with large amounts of organized crime, illegal profiteering, and political corruption within the leaders of the republic. The idea of the probation of alcohol in the United States was not a new one. In the 1896, a party evolved from the ideas of a dry America known as the Prohibition Party. Nearing the 1920's, Groups with similar ideas began to evolve to fight alcohol, one known as The Woman's Crusade. They believed that alcohol would destroy a person, or in this case a working man, and would destroy the people of America, and wanted it banned as a result. This was no surprise for the time, in that it was a time in which many social and political changes were being created. The progressive era, which is what this time of change was deemed, ended with the beginning of prohibition (Prohibition, and Its Effects on Chicagoans, and Organized Crime). The 18th amendment, in the year 1919, (permitted to be passed by the Volstead Act) was passed by the government as a reaction to the people's demands. This amendment banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Many people hoped that, with the passing of this bill, the evils of alcohol would leave the United States, but it only created a devastatingly active organized crime community to spring up. The Prohibition of alcohol was a direct tied to an increase in Organized crime. This being, completely alter to what activist wanted. Gangs and corrupt politicians began to fill the United States with the passing of the 18th amendment, to take advantage of the golden opportunity they saw.

People were under the impression that once the ban on alcohol was set in place, that many would no longer...