Rise of Crime
In January of 1919, the 18th amendment was passed which stated “ … The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors … For beverage purpose is hereby prohibited” (Constitution). Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many counties and some states were already dry. Even though the 18th amendment was to stop drinking all together, it did not even come close. Prohibition created a large number of bootleggers, which are people that sell alcohol illegally. In addition, speakeasies, or bars that sold illegal alcohol, were across the country. These bootleggers and speakeasies created a large amount of gangs, which led to a massive amount of crime throughout the prohibition time period.
Bootleggers, also known as rum runners, were people who played a prominent part of society during prohibition. When prohibition started, people instantly wanted to drink more, therefore the profitable bootlegging business was created. “My bootlegger used to be a good citizen … But he needed the money, and when he saw his opportunity of making it at the expense of the law … he took it” (Adams). The government thought that my banning alcohol the American people would go to work and be more efficient. What they didn’t realize was that unemployment was starting to rise and the people didn’t have any money to spend. Therefore many people turned towards the sale of alcohol because it was in such high demand. “I have never run across a man in my life who refused to take a drink because it was against the law, and I have never met a man who though I was crook, just because I am a bootlegger and proud of it” (The New Yorker). Many people took pride in the work that they did because they were creating something completely from scratch. They also started a bootlegging business as it was easy to do. The 18th amendment was not easily enforced as there were limited prohibition officers that the government hired and they could be payed off by the bootleggers. Many bootleggers didn’t just supply to the people they also supplied to speakeasies.
Even after the 18th amendment was ratified there were still numerous businesses that were still selling alcohol, these were known as speakeasies. Prohibition was a bust in most of the states, many had illegal businesses in some of the most massive cities. One of the more notable speakeasies in New York was the Schleyer Hotel in Rochester, which was run by three different families; “The Schleyer Hotel was in business throughout Prohibition and had an illegal speakeasy business that operated within the hotel” (Hendrick). Most of the alcohol brought into the Schleyer Hotel was brewed locally at the Genesee Brewery, which is still there today. “Beer brewed locally, according to my grandfather, at the Genesee Brewery was brought in and dropped off in broad daylight on busy North Clinton Avenue” (Hendrick). Alcohol, mostly whisky, was brought in through Canada. “Whiskey, either brewed locally or smuggled from Canada, was hand delivered in kegs once a week to the Hotel” (Hendrick). In Rochester there were only three people that ever got arrested; “According to the article, the men were accused of running an enormous illegal alcohol operation out of the brewery” (Hendrick). The Schleyer Hotel wasn’t alone when it came to selling illegally, “the speakeasy not even two blocks down the road was raided multiple times” (Hendrick). Many of these business owners saw these speakeasies as a massive money maker because they didn’t have to pay any taxes. Owning a speakeasy was just as easy as bootlegging. The government never cracked down on the amendment and it was easy to cover up. “These bars and hotels should have been serving non-alcoholic drinks but many, including the Schleyer Hotel, continued to serve alcohol” (Hendrick). Many of these speakeasies were owned by gangs that were wrapped up in the idea that alcohol was a very prestigious business.
Before prohibition started gangs were already in existence but prohibition gave each gang more motive to become more powerful. “Federal efforts to enforce prohibition, including raids on speakeasies, were countered by well-organized bootlegging operations with national and international connections” (Organized Crime). No matter what the government tried to do, these gang members would not budge on their idea of how illustrious their business was. “During the 1920s … Italian-American gangs (along with other ethnic gangs) entered the booming bootleg liquor business and transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises, skilled at smuggling, money laundering and bribing police and other public officials” (Mafia in the United States). The government did everything in their power to try and stop gangsters from rising to power, but everything they tried did not work. “While most cities across the nation had crime syndicates that controlled the flow of illegal alcohol, certain names garnered more respect and notoriety, and would become synonymous with the Prohibition Era’s crime problem” (Gangsters During Prohibition). A very significant gang, Colosimo, in Chicago run by Al Capone and Johnny Torrio was one of the most dangerous in the area (Al Capone). Between the bootlegging, the speakeasies, and the racketeering that Al Capone was a part of, his income for numerous years was over $100 million dollars (Gangsters During Prohibition). Al Capone was also known as the kingpin in Chicago because no other mob in the city would ever try and cross him, they always knew that they would be dead the next day. Along with these gangs came crime because if another person or gang tried anything the consequences would be severe.
With these bootleggers being apart of a certain gang and speakeasies being owned by them in their specific area, crime rose because they didn’t want anyone else in their area, a turf war had started. “Wars among gangs, producing grisly killings, frequently made headlines” (Organized Crime). One of those most heinous crimes was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre which happened in 1929. “Orchestrated by Capone, the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was one example of numerous murders committed by mobsters in their quest for territory to distribute illegal booze” (Prohibition and Crime). The massacre consisted of several men from an Irish gang getting shot to death by some of Capone’s men dressed as police officers. Even though Capone was never charged for the murders almost everyone knew that he was the one behind it but because one of the members shot wouldn’t speak, Capone was never punished. “In the few minutes before he died, they (the actual police officers) pressed him to reveal what had happened, but Gusenberg wouldn’t talk” (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre). Although many say that the crime rate went down during prohibition, the violent crime rate went up drastically. “Overall violent crime such as murders, batteries, and assaults increased by 13 percent” (Prohibition and Crime). With the amount of violent crime rising in the United States, the government had to step in and do something to stop these tragedies.
As crime throughout the major cities climbed to new heights because of the amount of gangs that were selling illegal alcohol throughout their speakeasies and through their own bootleggers, the government could not keep it under control. The government finally ratified the 21st amendment in 1933 that repealed the 18th amendment. Bootlegging never came to an end because people still wanted to make money. Speakeasies weren’t secret anymore they turned back into the bar that they once were. Gangs and violent crime never stopped either because of bootlegging still being around.