St Valentine Day Shooting Research Paper

As the roaring twenties reached their end the battle against alcohol in the United States is just arising to a turning point. With serious controversy over the Volstead Act the country was greatly divided. There was also the extreme rising occurrences of crime, the creation of gangs and a newly established, unorganized criminal justice system. Prohibition was a disaster across America and the more reforment from the government just made things worse.

When prohibition was passed the homicides was at their all time high, about 10 per 100,000. The use of dope went up, and the bootleggers, dope sellers, racketeers, and gangsters was thrilled because they was able to make more money during the great depression. They would sell you alcohol or

The movement was fueled by the formation of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893. This league and other anti-alcohol organizations, began to succeed in establishing local prohibition laws, then the laws became national. The 18th Amendment was put into place to helped reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce tax created by prisons, and improve health and hygiene. After Prohibition started crime rates dropped, about 38%, the number of inmates in jails and prisons decreased 75%, and drunkenness decreased about 55%. None of this lasted, they were only temporary.

The second amendment states, “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Amendment XVIII : Alcohol Prohibition The 18th amendment, also known as the Volstead Act, states that any alcohol except those used for medical or religious purposes are banned. This was ratified on January 16, 1919 and took effect the next year. This amendment did not work well to many, as many started illegal bars where you have to have a code to get in and they were made and hidden in the back of restaurants or alleys. These were not likely to be caught due to the fact the people in charge technically did not have the rights to do anything about it and it was not their job anyway.

Picture this: its the roaring twenties, people were ecstatic about the war being over, but had no idea that there was about to be a cultural civil war among America starting with prohibition. From the end of nineteen eighteen to nineteen thirty three prohibition had its impractical moments and was controverted , and in the end, it became one of the most prominent moments in U.S history J.J Little explains that the Eighteenth Amendment made drinking and selling alcohol illegal(598). The meaning of prohibition was to diminish the drinking of alcohol, and therefor the crime rate would plummet, including poverty, death rates, and the condition of life would become better also boosting the economy. Sadly, this was no help at all (Addiction History 1165). The FPB (Federal Prohibition Bureau) began only to over look the Volstead Act and made sure it was

The Prohibition intended to limit a liberty of its people, which prompted massive growth in organized crime. That unintended consequence did not originate in one place alone: most were drawn to alcohol due to lack of clean water in the area. People who relied on alcohol to quench their thirsty suddenly found themselves between a rock and a hard place. Chicago was one of the earliest cities to become saturated with corruption. Chicago had a history of lawlessness, as criminals partook in gambling, prostitution, etc.

After all alcohol was still highly sought after, which helped spread more crime across the United States.

In 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in America (Doc B). Prohibitionists overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government. Thus, there was tension between the modernists and the traditionalists. Although the amendment was passed, alcohol was still distributed illegally. Actually, prohibition spawned many crimes, such as illegal sale of alcohol and gang wars.

Guns, gangs, women, alcohol, gambling, are just some things that come to mind when I hear prohibition. According to the online source American History, The Prohibition is the act of prohibiting the manufacturing, storage, transportation, and sale of alcohol, including any alcoholic beverage. This led to the biggest crime rates of all time. At the head of all the crime was one man. His name, Alphonse Capone aka (Scarface) .

Additionally, during Prohibition, 32,000 speakeasies, illegal liquor-serving nightclubs, replaced 15000 pubs. Illegal liquor trade became a $3.5 billion industry as of 1926 and gangs of bootleggers were formed. In 1929, Al Capone’s gang shot seven members of their rival gang. This event, known as the St. Valentine’s Massacre, increased competition for control of the market. Evidently, the laws of Prohibition were disregarded and protested by many.

The U.S. census published in 2008 showed how in the time prohibition was enacted, the homicide rates skyrocketed. Then, when prohibition ended in 1933, the homicide rates went down again. (U.S. Census document B). In cartoonist Winsor McCay’s cartoon, he drew about how prohibition promoted all sorts of bad habits, including how it promoted gang violence and dope selling. (McCay document A).

The prohibition outlawed alcohol to try and diminish the crime rate. This led to a higher consumption of alcohol and illicit speakeasies. As fast as the police closed down one venue, more would spring up in its place (Prohibition in the United States). Government intrusion with the Volstead Act of 1919 outlawed beverages over 0.5 alcohol volume

By enforcing prohibition, the government hoped to decrease the death rate. But, prohibition did the opposite of its intention, it sparked an increase in death rates, both alcohol and non-alcohol influenced. During the preceding time period of prohibition, the rate of deaths from alcohol had begun to decrease, but around 1920 when prohibition was enforced, it suddenly increased again (Document F). This information shows that prohibition, specifically, triggered the death rate to ascend, again. Also, the death rate from alcohol poisoning was soaring during prohibition (IG).

By 1820, the average American, over 15 years old, consumed about seven gallons of pure alcohol per year (“Roots of Prohibition”). Not only has the drinking age changed since then but this is nearly three times the amount of alcohol that is drank today. Alcohol abuse was causing chaos on many lives, especially during a time when women had few legal rights and depended on their husbands for support (“Roots of Prohibition”). From 1920 to 1933, the transportation, sale, and manufacture of alcohol were illegal in the United States under Prohibition. The 18th amendment, along with other groups and movements, enforced the Prohibition of alcohol; however, it was later repealed by the 21st amendment due to increased illegal alcohol sales, disrespect

“To what extent did prohibition influence the growth of organized crime in the United States from 1920 to 1933?” Section 1 – Identification and evaluation of sources The idea behind this investigation is to encounter the form in which Prohibition in the United States was an influential factor in the growth of organized crime from 1920 to 1933. The first source that was found is from “The Finer Times”, the writer of this article is Tim Nash. The article gets into in-depth thoughts about the factors of influence in the prohibition period that increased the growth of criminal organizations.