Ad Hoc Methods

They escaped capture in various encounters with the law. However, their activities made law enforcement efforts to apprehend them even more intense. During a shootout with police in Iowa on July 29, 1933, Buck Barrow was fatally wounded and Blanche was captured. Jones, who was frequently mistaken for “Pretty Boy” Floyd, was captured in November 1933 in Houston, Texas by the sheriff’s office. Bonnie and Clyde went on together. (Bonnie and Clyde par. 9)

The workers fired warning shots and they shouted for the Pinkertons to go back, or they'll not answer for their lives. When the first Pinkerton walked into Homestead, a worker shot him in the thigh (American Heritage p. 17). " When the Pinkertons marched from the barges to the rink, they were shamefully abused"(Illustrated American p. 2). A Homestead Mob burned the barges all the way down to the water line. Hugh O' Donnell made no attempt to stop the violence after many Pinkertons and eight workers were dead. The town begged for news of the workers and their conditions. Hugh O' Donnell insisted to let the Pinkertons surrender safely if they left Homestead. The Pinkertons surrendered and

During the period of prohibition, from 1920 to 1933, the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol was made illegal, through the Volstead act of 1919, leading to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. Throughout this time in American history gangsters were common and were constantly increasing in every city but one in particular stood out from all the others making a significant impact on American history. Scarface, Alphonse Capone or more commonly known as Al Capone; who was the most infamous gangster, taking advantage of the era of Prohibition, ran an organized crime association in Chicago during the 1920s. He was responsible for over 500 murders; he had 700 men under his control and earned $60 million a year for bootlegging. Capone, who was glamorised in media and shown as charitable to the helpless was also controlling and violent and became an iconic figure of the successful American gangster who insisted he was just ‘supplying the public demand’.

During the 1920s, organised crime was a major issue plaguing federal authorities, as well as the American people. This took place in most big cities across the United States, particularly in Chicago, Illinois, where gangsters such as Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Johnny Torrio dominated all aspects of life. However, at this time, authorities also faced problems from the government through corruption and scandalous actions.

Once the organized crime families were established they were the main contributors to the illegal “Bootlegging” of alcohol. During the 20’s there was a great deal of violent crimes. Most of them could be connected back to the organized crime families. Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone was a gangster who led illegal activities such as the smuggling and the bootlegging of alcohol during the prohibition. Even though he had a tough exterior he was a caring man he was the first to open up a soup kitchen in Chicago (hammer). Capone’s estimated annual revenue was around 100 million dollars. He had many men working for him such as Frank Nitti, August Pisano and Louis Morganno. He supplied Chicago with most of its alcohol. (Capone: the man and his era).

On June 22nd 1903 John Herbert Dillinger was born to John and Mollie Dillinger . His parents ran and owned a grocery store in Indianapolis, Indiana, and at the age of three his mother died . John Dillinger’s father described his son as a “restless and aggressive” child . Beginning from a young age, the dark side of Dillinger became evident, as he created and led a gang called ‘The Dirty Dozen’ . The worst criminal act the ‘Dirty Dozen’ participated in consisted of stealing coal from the nearby railroad . As Dillinger grew older, so did the intensity of his crimes. In his teenage years Dillinger stole a car to impress a girl, and when caught he fled to the navy. According to John he was “discharged” from the navy, but records say he

Although in the beginning of their crime spree they committed a series of small robberies on stores and gas stations. They were trying to get enough money and firearms to liberate eastham prison. But things did not go as planned Bonnie and Ralph were captured in a failed robbery for firearms. Bonnie only spent a few months in jail because the grand jury failed to indict her while Ralph was prosecuted and never rejoined the gang. Clyde was the driver for a robbery in Hillsboro, Texas. During that robbery the owner of the store was shot and killed. When the wife was shown mugshots she had identified Clyde as a shooter. This was the first time he had been accused of murder during the spree. After a few weeks of them both being out of jail they reunited. On august 5th while Bonnie was visiting her mother the rest of the gang was out drinking at the country dance in Stringtown, Ohio when the sheriff and deputy approached them in the lot. Clyde and Raymond Hamilton opened fire and killed the deputy and severely injured the sheriff. This Clyde first time kill someone of the

In 1920, the United States entered a new stage in its life, the Era of Prohibition. However, flaws in the planning, execution, and administration caused this noble idea to vacillate unquestionably. However, men who were willing to break the law were the ones that were able to build a lucrative life for themselves; one such man was Alphonse Capone. However, honest men such as Elliot Ness fought adamantly to defend their morals, beliefs, and the law of the land. Nevertheless, Capone was a man who took advantage of his time and lived the life of the American Dream: going from rags to riches. However, it was this very same opulence that caused his downfall and incarceration. The tireless efforts of Elliot Ness eventually paid off

On August 1896, the Wild Bunch robbed a bank in Montpelier Idaho took off with $7000. The succeeding heists included banks and trains in New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota. The group’s biggest heist was that of the new Union Pacific Train which took place on June 1899 in Wilcox, Wyoming. They made off around $30,000. It was followed by another train robbery in Folsom, New Mexico where it was reported that they took $70,000 with them. Butch was not part of that robbery and gang members died or were captured.

This paper discusses one of the most significant events of the 1920s and 1930s that still affects life to this day, the prohibition. Throughout the modern American, who may be interested in the prohibition and why organized crime was so powerful, discover just that as well as why the prohibition was implemented, who had the most influence, how people viewed one another at the time, and the factors that lead to the prohibitions lack of success. It was a time of struggle between law enforcement, organized crime and the citizens caught in-between. Overall the main question the collective research intends to answer is “who held all the power, the police, organized crime, or the citizens and how did that shape the prohibition?” The answer to the question will be discovered through research and facts. Topics such as motivations behind the prohibition, police efficacy, citizen involvement, organized crime, the morals of America, and multiple views on the prohibition will be covered in hopes to fully understand what the prohibition was and the roles specific groups had in the outcome.

Striking workers had not committed any violent acts, but their standoff with obstinate planters was heading toward a violent climax on January 14, 1871. For two days in a row, Henry C. Minor—reinforced by the local “colored” sheriff,

The 1920s was a “time of great criminal activity, with prohibition laws in America and the world in an economic depression” (Nash, 1). Organized criminals such as American mobsters thrived during this time. Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and John Dillinger were the most well-known of the gangsters at the time, many of the common people looked to these criminals as “heroes”. There were a tremendous amount of people who turned to criminal activity; mostly because jobs were scarce and

Imagine, a time when law enforcement agents could only watch a criminal walk away. A time when they were unable to return fire in a gunfight. A time when no means for tracking criminals existed. A time when a state line stood as impassible as a great wall for law enforcement. There was a time, when men created legends with their criminal exploits, by name of John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Baby Face Nelson. They stood unopposed, taking what they wished on a whim. In 1924, a young man, years short of 30, was put in charge of an agency with no bite. By the end of his life, J. Edgar Hoover was the most powerful man in America, at the head of one of the most powerful organizations in America. He held more power than the very presidents of

     In order to take down Capone it was surmised that a special team would be installed, but who should be on this team? Corruption was rampant in the prohibition bureau at the time and honest men were few and far between. Once

In the year 1962, there was a boy by the name of Alex DeLarge, and he was the leader of a gang called the “droogs.” He has three best friends named Georgie, Dim, and Pete who also make up the entirety of the gang along with Alex. One night, the boys decide to get very drunk on milk laced with drugs, and go out on a streak of horrible violent acts. They beat an elderly lady, fight a rival gang, steal a car, almost kill a man named Mr. Alexander, and rape his wife. After the next day, the droogs gang confronts Alex wanting more high-rewarding crimes. He beats his friends to a pulp just to show them he is the boss. Just after this they break into a rich lady’s home where Alex kills the