Most Powerful Man in 1920's, Al Capone Essay

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illegal, through the Volstead act of 1919, leading to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed.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’.

Prohibition led to the bootlegging of liquor and the gang wars of the 1920’s. The most notorious gangster of all time, known as Al Capone, was the most powerful mob leader of his era. He dominated organized crime in the Chicago area from 1925 until 1931. Capone grew up during the roaring 20s in Chicago. He joined the James Street gang, lead by Johnny Torrio. In 1920, Torrio asked Capone to move to Chicago and work with his uncle who controlled the city’s largest prostitution and gambling ring at the time. Capone had liked that idea. Later that year the Prohibition act came into affect and Capone became interested in selling illegal whiskey and other alcoholic beverages. Al Capone was America's best known gangster and greatest

It’s the beginning of the 1950’s. The citizens of Chicago are awaken by gunfires of mobsters of the “Chicago Outfit's,” lead by Al-Capone. Al-Capone was one of the best mobster kings in America, he got away with multiple murders, bootlegged alcohol during the prohibition era, along with numerous other court cases.

Capone’s early life begins when his Italian immigrant parents Gabrielle and Teresa Capone moved to America. He was born on January 17, 1899. Al was one of eight children in his family; however his family did not make too much money being his father worked as a barber and his mother worked as a seamstress. He grew up in Brooklyn, and went to school at Brooklyn Elementary. During his sixth grade year he started falling behind so he had to repeat sixth grade. Capone started playing hooky and hung around the Brooklyn docks. One day during school the principal hit Capone for being rude and disrespectful, however instead of taking it Capone hit the principal back. They moved from their tenements to the the outskirts of Park Slope. This is the place he met his gangster mentor Johnny Torrio.

Fun fact 7 schools now allow their staff and teachers hit their students and 15 don’t penalize their staff and teachers for hitting the students. Being a 14 year old who got expelled from school, Capone worked many odd jobs like a candy store clerk, a bowling alley pinboy, a laborer for an ammunition plant, and a cutter at a book bindery, Capone got involved he with two “kid gangs” called South Brooklyn Rippers and Forty Thieves junior known for vandalism and secondary crimes. Before the age of 21, he was in many violent crimes, at a Harvard inn, a hoodlum named Frank Galluccio slashed Capone’s cheek with a knife or razor after Capone made a crude comment about Galluccio’s sister, starting his future nickname, Scarface. Capone later shot the winner of the neighborhood craps

Alphonse Capone, nicknamed Al, was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Gabriele and Teresina Capone who came to America as Italian immigrants. Gabriele was a barber, and Teresina was a seamstress. Al and his 7 siblings grew up in a rough neighborhood which led him to an involvement in “kid gangs”. Capone was a part of two gangs, the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors.

The 1920’s was an extraordinary time period filled with flappers, speakeasies, and gangsters. One of the most notorious gangsters during this time was a man named Al Capone. On February 14, 1929, seven bullet riddled corpses were discovered inside a garage inside a lonesome garage on Clark Street owned by gangster George “Bugs” Moran.

During the prohibition era of the 1920's, if one wasn't an enemy of Alphonse (Al) "Scarface" Capone, was he, in many eyes, a hero? Due to his savvy street smarts and the corrupt rebellion of the decade, Al Capone was not only a popular commentary of the time, but is now a legend. His classic boy from the ghetto turned generous multi-millionaire story only adds to the heroism seen in this most famous Chicago mobster. Chicago's industries, open spaces and four seasons were an enormous magnet for the 19th century Europeans looking for a home and opportunity. The frontier Chicago grew into a wonderful collection of ethnic neighborhoods - Irish, Italian, Russian, Greek, German, Polish and others. In many of these communities, making beer and

Al Capone’s infamy rose as his crime arose in his early life. Al Capone was part of the outfit, which would bootleg alcohol into Chicago during Prohibition, owning speakeasies, and other illegal businesses. According to the text,” Al Capone became Mr. Moonshiner and Bootlegger in Chief,”(Bragg 183). Along with this, Al was involved in the St. Valentine's Day massacre which killed seven people and was known for being a murderer, killing a city prosecutor, a police chief, and a journalist. Al Capone’s bootlegging, illegal businesses, and murders resulted in him being notoriously known.

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.

He officially dropped out of school at the age of fourteen when he got in a fight with his teacher and his principal punished him with a whipping. Capone chose to get a job in preparation to handle adulthood in Brooklyn, New York. A few years passed and Capone joined his first gang, the South Brooklyn Rippers. While with the South Brooklyn Rippers, Capone stated associated himself with

When Capone was 19, he married an Irish girl named Mae Coughlin, a few weeks after they gave birth to their son, Albert Francis Capone. After their marriage, Capone took a moral job as a bookkeeper. This brief hiatus ended when his father died and Torrio offered Capone to move to Chicago and work for him. Capone accepted this invitation and began working for Torrio’s lucrative bootlegging business. Bootlegging, as you might wonder, is the illegal sale of alcohol during the Prohibition

Al Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up with poor immigrant parents and had 7 brothers and sisters. His Father’s name was Gabriele Capone,and his Mother’s name was Teresina Capone. Al was a good student in school until he reached the sixth grade and got into a altercation with his teacher and punched her. After the incident he never went back to school and instead looked to street gangs. Two gangs he joined were the Brooklyn Rippers, and the Forty Thelves. His family then decided it was best for them to move to a safer area and moved to the outskirts of Brooklyn. Al met his wife at this time and two men named Johnny Torrio and Frankie Yale. Torrio was one of the biggest partners Al had ever worked with and also the godfather of his son Albert Francis and Frankie gave Al a job as a bartender and bouncer at the Howard Inn. Meeting these two men was the Start of something new ("Al Capone").

It was the early 1930’s and it was the biggest crime wave in U.S history. The U.S passed a new law that it was illegal to sell, or drink alcohol. This angered many men and caused chaos in every city of the U.S. But there was a man named Al Capone who broke all these rules. He snuck many alcohol and sold so much, that he became rich out of it.

“ The evil genius of all gangsterdom was Al Capone, first haled to Chicago at 23 by Johnny Torrio, who was at the time boss of the Windy City’s underworld” (Edey 175). By the time Capone took control in 1925 he controlled all the speakeasies in Chicago, which were estimated to be at 10,000, and had a gang 700 strong to enforce his reign (Edey 175). During Capone’s reign “Chicago suffered upwards of 400 gang murders a year” (Edey 175).