Gangsters/Mobsters

enjoy this article i found on Al Capone, it's not the long, but it's very helpful, when you want to know about the mobsters and gangsters of the 1920s.

"Al Capone
Al Capone is America's best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. Capone had a leading role in the illegal activities that lent Chicago its reputation as a lawless city.

Al Capone's mug shot, 1931. (CHS DN-91508)

Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. Baptized "Alphonsus Capone," he grew up in a rough neighborhood and was a member of two "kid gangs," the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. Although he was bright, Capone quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. Between scams he was a clerk in a candy store, a pinboy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery. He became part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and worked in gangster Frankie Yale's Brooklyn dive, the Harvard Inn, as a bouncer and bartender. While working at the Inn, Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname "Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother.

In 1918, Capone met an Irish girl named Mary "Mae" Coughlin at a dance. On December 4, 1918, Mae gave birth to their son, Albert "Sonny" Francis. Capone and Mae married that year on December 30."






Mobsters weren't started when Prohibition was in affect. Mobsters or the Mafia, was formed before Prohibition, but got really big during Prohibition because with every member that joined the group, the leader which was Al Capone would get money and before they knew it, the Mafia was huge & rich. Mobsters used to obtain alcohol and sell it to people who wanted alcohol. Mobsters didn't do their own dirty work, well the leaders didn't, they often hired people to do their "dirty work" for them so that they wouldn't have a bad record.

Al Capone was the head guy in charge of the Mafia. He was very well known and many people feared him alone because they knew what he was capable of. He became a symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States. He built his criminal empire in Chicago where he sold alcohol to people during Prohibition.

Mobsters/Gangsters ruled during prohibition because they were the rich people and many feared them. People knew that mobsters could do anything they wanted if they didn't get their way so people tried their hardest to fulfill a mobster's needs. They would hire people to kill other people who went against their wishes. If you were a politician, they would force you out of office by blackmailing you and turning all your supporters against you. Even policemen feared mobsters and gangsters. Policemen and politicians felt they were no match compared to the mobsters. So they did what they had to do in order for themselves and their families to be safe.