Crime is and will always be a well documented matter in society. The topic of crime comes up almost daily whether on the news or just a subject of conversation among peers. Crime is defined as an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law. A city free of all crime is impossible by the nature of man. For that reason, nations are constantly looking for ways to prevent or at least limit crime in their society. During the 1920’s, violence was on the rise in large metropolitan cities in America. This surge lead to attempts to discover the root of this barbarity. Many sought out drunkenness as the source of the violence, so naturally people rallied behind a cause to illegalize alcohol consumption and manufacture in the United States. While many people voiced their disapproval of prohibition, movements advocating for prohibition still managed to gain plenty of support. To the surprise of the prohibition enthusiasts, putting a curb to crime and violence across major cities would not prove to be so elementary. Still, their efforts proved successful as far as that the Volstead Act, which established prohibition in the United States, was passed in 1919. The 18th Amendment, enforcing prohibition, intended to create a sober America and in turn decrease violence stemming from drunkenness. However, it proved to do the exact opposite. Organized crime and violence grew rapidly during the roaring twenties centered largely on the illegal transaction of liquor. Prohibition laws passed in the 1920’s provided a platform for organized crime to thrive in American cities.
Contrary to common belief, prohibition did not directly cause the institution of organized crime. Organized crime has been present for decades prior to prohibition. Similarly, the proposition of prohibition is not a new one either. Prior to the Civil War, the temperance movement appeared attractive to the religious community who thought drinking was sinful. This cause was lost in the more relevant issue of the abolishment of slavery. Nonetheless, in the years after the Civil War, prohibition regained focus. In the late 19th century, prohibition began to gain momentum and support specifically from women. In 1874, the National Women’s Christian Temperance Union, headed by Francis Willard, was formed with focus on the banning of alcohol as well as women’s suffrage. Women pushed for prohibition as they saw it as a way to prevent their husbands from wasting hard earned money on booze. As women rallied together for a ban on alcohol, prohibition became increasingly popular throughout the States.
The Anti-Saloon League, established in 1893, was a powerful organization that was centered on the sole issue of prohibition. The Anti-Saloon League was different from most prohibitionist groups in that there were less women involved and it was actually headed by a male. The man who formed the Anti-Saloon League was Wayne Wheeler, a politician in Ohio who managed to get more than 50 counties in Ohio to ban the consumption of alcohol. Realization of the progress made in Ohio led Wheeler and the League to believe that national prohibition was not out of reach.
Eventually Wheeler would achieve his goal. In 1919, the illegalization of the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol was passed into law across the United States and finally enacted in 1920. These laws intended to reduce corruption and crime, and resolve social issues. Prohibitionists’ vision was one of peace, good conduct, and purity. However, the “noble experiment”, as it was frequently referred to as, proved to be a failure as it was highly unsuccessful in dropping misconduct and violence within the major cities. Rather, the prohibition laws enacted in 1920 opened the doors to the takeover of organized crime.
To start, the Volstead Act was lengthy and brought forth confusion. This led to misconceptions among the public on what was permitted and what was forbidden. While the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol was made illegal, consumption and private possession were not made illegal by the 18th Amendment. Thus, many people chose to buy extensive quantities of alcohol and store it in their homes prior to the 18th Amendment being enacted. In that way, they could still have access to their liquor essentially making the laws futile. In addition, private production was allowed contingent on that fact the alcohol must be made with fruit. As a result, many vineyards were started to sell grapes to the public so they could create their own alcohol themselves. This process was referred to as “bathtub gin” as the bathtub was a common site for the production of alcohol within the home. Already, the public found numerous ways to escape a sober society as the prohibitionists initially intended.
Criminal gangs existed within American cities prior to prohibition, but the new laws acted as a prime opportunity to gain power and profit. The gangs were led by “bosses” who had complete reign over certain neighborhoods and local gangs within the neighborhoods. The local gangs emphasized street-level crimes such as robbery, burglary, loansharking, extortion, and drugs. The “bosses” oversaw all this along with running prostitution and gambling services. While all these took place before prohibition, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that they became coordinated under an organization.
The enforcement of the prohibition laws was rather weak. Despite being aware of illegal activity occurring in speakeasies, law enforcement did little to stop it. Much of this was due to corruption within the government. Gangs were able to bribe policemen, judges, juries, witnesses, politicians, and even federal prohibition agents to not follow through with punishments. Corruption began to spread from the street gangs to high ranking government officials.
Through the growing demand of alcohol grew an opportunity to feed that demand by providing beer, wine, and hard liquor to the public illegally. This act of distributing alcohol illegally took the name “bootlegging”. The bootlegging industry took off in large American cities due to the immense potential for profit. Power hungry gangs took no time to get into the business. Before prohibition, bootlegging existed as a means of bypassing extensive taxes on alcohol as bootleg liquor was far cheaper than legal booze. After prohibition, alcohol was sold in bars called “speakeasies”. They were given this name due to the fact that one would need to speak the word “password” in a soft tone so as to not be overheard by the police. By 1930, in New York City alone there is an estimated 20,000 to 100,000 speakeasies open and operating. Although speakeasies were meant to stay under the radar, essentially everyone, including law enforcement knew of these underground saloons. As previously mentioned, it was common practice for gang bosses to bribe underpaid officers to ignore their activity and go on with their day with a slightly increased salary.
Organized crime had spread nationwide by the mid 1920’s. Moving to the Midwest region, the infamous Al Capone, crime boss of the Chicago Outfit, exploited the bootlegging industry to the fullest extent. Capone made an estimated $60 million a year supplying illegal liquor to the 10,000 speakeasies he had reign over around Chicago. Rival gangs saw similar gains to Capone, but no gang was satisfied with their lot. As one can imagine, competition for control and power was fierce.
The clash between the gangs often led to violent exchanges. Initially, prohibition was thought to decrease violence and create peace and harmony however that was not looking probable. As the bootleg business grew rapidly, so did the stress and tension between gangs. Gangs had never been so organized before. In order to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by prohibition, gangs were forced to plan meticulously. A large part of this planning incorporated how they were to sabotage the advancement of rival gangs. Schemes ranged from employing lawyers and accountants for the business side of operations to utilizing armed thugs to bomb and kill other members of other gangs.
Inter-gang violence reached new heights in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. In New York alone, 1,000 people were killed during the prohibition era in gang violence. Crime and violence escalated until the event that captivated the essence of gang violence during prohibition. On Valentine’s Day, 1929, four men posing as police officers entered a warehouse on 2122 N. Clark Street, Chicago. This warehouse was used as liquor storage by George “Bugs” Moran and his gang. The imposter officers lined up six of the gang members against the wall to do a routine check of the warehouse. Suddenly, the four officers revealed machine guns from under their coats and opened fire killing all six of the men. This came to be known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Moran’s North Side gang was known to be the biggest obstacle to Al Capone’s success in metropolitan Chicago which led many to suggest Capone’s involvement in the massacre. Law enforcement looked into Capone as a possible suspect but failed to provide any proof for his participation. Nonetheless, it is safe to say this act was planned by Capone and his gang.
The raid opened the eyes of the public to the horrors going on around them. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre became the symbol of gang violence, and crime in the prohibition era. As the 1930’s rolled around, support for prohibition was waning. Many believed it would prove more beneficial to end prohibition and repeal the 18th Amendment.
Just a few weeks after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, President Herbert Hoover called Congress to a special session regarding the future of prohibition. Hoover thought the best option at this time was to repeal the 18th Amendment and move forward. On November 7, 1933, the 21st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States was passed into law, National Prohibition was finally over.
What began with a promising vision, including the reduction of crime and a society full of tranquility, prohibition failed to leave any positives on American citizens or cities. Rather, prohibition provided a platform for the advancement of organized crime in the United States. Through the emersion of bootlegging and speakeasies, alcohol became even more accessible, violence and brutality rose, and government offices were corrupted. All in all, the “noble experiment” failed to achieve its objectives, but can be looked back on as a minute blunder in the great history of the United States of America.