St. Valentines Day Massacre Research Paper

The article goes into detail as to what happened and what led to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of February 14, 1929. It retells the story of that day and the people involved in the shooting. It talks about how the massacre was done because of power over bootlegging between Al Capone’s gang and Bugs Moran crew.

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through the Volstead act of 1919, leading to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed.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

now the story behind him. What made him to be the most feared gangster in the city of Chicago? How did this kid from a rough neighborhood and no money grow up to have $60,000,000? I’ve always been fascinated with organized crime but had never been taught anything in school about it. This report gave me the chance to explore something interesting and also educational. The more I researched Al Capone, the more I wanted to learn about him. He may look like an innocent Italian at a glance, but he

In recognition of the failure of prohibition, many people even sympathized with murderous organized criminals. For instance, Al Capone had been fairly popular with the working class and was often cheered in public. After all, he supplied what many of the people wanted. However, that popularity dropped significantly after the much publicized “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre,” a turf war with his rival Bugs Moran. That event became a tipping point in history and from that point forward the media labeled Capone as “Public Enemy Number One.” Consequently, the bloodshed from that day became a symbol and garnered tremendous popular support for ending

It took time and persistence for Al Capone to become a leader, and to be considered the notorious criminal he was, and due with the guidance of Johnny Torrio, a mob leader in Chicago, Al Capone became the man he was set to be when came to Chicago. In the award-winning book “American Decades” it states “... in 1919 after the 18th amendment went into effect, bootlegging operations opened up and drew in immense wealth. In 1925, Torrio retired, and Capone became the crime czar of Chicago, running gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging rackets and expanding his territories by the gunning down of rivals, and rival gangs.” (Bondi).

Al Capone’s attempt to murder leader of the Chicago gang, George (bugs) Moran-Dean O’ Banion yesterday in February 14th, 1929 was a failure after Al Capone had come to the realization that Moran was not yet in the garage where Al Capone had thought that Moran was in. Although, Moran was not killed Al Capone’s four men that were sent to kill and murder Moran successfully killed seven members of his northern Chicago gang, also, known as one of the most brutal massacres in the city’s underworld.

With many nuisances in his way he developed a policy for killing his competitors. After the first major killing of Dion O'Banion who was an Irish mobster and competitor to Capone a major gang war broke out in 1926. In just one district alone of Chicago, 130 gangsters were murdered. In them 130 killings it involved the St. Valentines Massacre which was an event where 6 high ranking members of Bugs Moran gang which is affiliated with Dion O’Banion were murdered in a garage by gangsters dressed in full police uniform. Few murderers were arrested and convicted of crime which led to Capone’s success in Chicago’s

A crackdown on racketeering in Chicago forced Capone to move his business to Cicero, where he with the help of his brothers, infiltrated the government and police departments. The three brothers shared leading roles in the government and Capone would kidnap opposing election workers and threaten voters with violence. He eventually won office in Cicero. Capone had always prided himself on keeping his temper, however, when his friend Jack Guzik was assaulted by a thug, Capone himself tracked him down and shot him dead in a bar. Due to a lack of evidence and witnesses, Capone had gotten away with the murder, however his reputation in the public eye was ruined. Capone then moved to the luxurious Metropole Hotel, where he could be seen as a public figure, in a bid to gain back his respect. Capone was different to other ganglords as he never avoided publicity. Instead, Capone showed up smartly dressed to show that he was not only a businessman, but a pillar of the community. Capone’s next big operation was bootlegging whiskey into Chicago with an old friend, Frankie Yale. To repay him, Capone had then set out on infamous event now known as the Adonis Club Massacre. Capone had brutally attacked Yale’s enemies at a christmas party. During a shoot out between the police and some of Capone’s hunch men, officer Billy McSwiggen was shot down. Capone was blamed with his murder, but yet again due to a lack of evidence was let off. This had officially set the

between the Huguenots and Catholics would take place throughout the cities causing complete destruction. The Huguenots attacked properties such as churches and assaulted priests. On the other hand, Catholics directly attacked the Huguenots through methods of stoning and interruptions of worship.

Al Capone is widely thought to be the modern day Robin Hood, because he steals money from the rich and donates it to charity. Is he really a hero to the poor, or is it just to cover up what he is really doing. In today’s paper you will learn what Al “Scarface” Capone does behind the scenes. Capone participates in many illegal activities these include controlling Chicago’s politics, Bootlegging, and even gets in shootouts with local police He is associated with questionable methods. Capone is seen as having a large effect in bringing about the victory of William Hale Thompson, especially in the 1927 mayoral race when Thompson campaigned for a wide open town hinting that he'd reopen illegal saloons. This helped his campaign gain the support of

I’m sure you have heard of Al Capone, and if not, he was the face of gangsters and The Mob in the early 20th century. February 14, 1929 was the day that Al Capone’s men killed another gang in a warehouse. This was named The Valentine’s Massacre. Another large organization that committed crimes was The Mafia. Mostly made up of immigrants, it was up there with The Mob as one of the most feared. With the instability of laws and enforcement, it wasn’t uncommon for many gangs to continue to pull through on heists and robberies. Though Al Capone did commit many crimes and generally was not looked at as a good guy, he did make his own attempt to supply soup for those in

When you think of the massacre, who is the first one in your mind? I immediately think of the people living there who are involved, the situation in which you are, the children who are inferior to the world. Many can be mistaken when we say that a massacre, the person being murdered by a guilty sin. Would it be good or bad would it bring to the majority. How are the families of those who are dead and who are separated from their husbands?

With Prohibition present within the United States in the 1920s to the 1930s, corruption mixed with organized crime is widespread. In the city of Chicago, from the judges and the mayor downward, crime and corruption flourishes through illegal distribution of alcohol, or also known as bootlegging. A major player during this chaotic period, gang boss Al Capone, has the entire city, including law enforcement, politicians, and business owners, bowing to his will through a fear combined with violence and extortion. The opening scene demonstrates the ruthlessness of gang violence in Chicago. Despite the hopelessness, there are some who are aware of the city’s criminal status and want to bring Capone to justice. Eliot Ness, a Treasury Department agent, is put in charge of putting a stop to Capone’s illicit operations. With the help of a veteran Chicago cop, Jimmy Malone, a Treasury accountant, Oscar Wallace, and a police academy cadet, George Stone, the four set out on a crusade to thwart Capone and his organized crime gang. After several successful interceptive raids, the four men began to develop a reputation within the city. With the help of Oscar, the group of four realize that their only chance of legally apprehending Capone is to connect him with a crime of tax evasion. They believe that they finally have the advantage over the organized crime, but what they soon come to realize is that many who hold power in the city are corrupt and actively protect Capone. As conflicts

He and along with a long time friend, Frank Yale, from New York, began smuggling car loads of whiskey into Chicago. This whiskey bootlegging trail was making Capone rich, but an incident involving William McSwiggins was a huge setback. In such free-for-all business, every man wanted the bigger share of profits. This escalated to the point where gangsters wouldn’t settle their discussions but reached for the revolver instead. The crime leader of Chicago, Al Capone was very much the same. Men would be unsuspectingly pulled into a car and “taken for a ride”. Dozens of men met their ends in such methods. The regular everyday citizens of Cicero shook off these instances simply because it didn’t effect them. Until the night of May 1926, when someone was caught between the crossfire. Three men were shot down that night, two of which were gangsters and the third was William McSwiggins. McSwiggin was accidently shot by Capone’s men in a shootout outside a bar. No one knew what William was going with these goon, but all fingers were pointed to Capone. William McSwiggins was a popular and young assistant state attorney, and his death made national headlines. He was also known as the “hanging prosecutor”. The shooting was followed by a huge outcry against Capone and his men. Citizens protested against gangster and criminal violence. The publicity gave him a infamous

Roche, Rick. "Organized Crime in Chicago: Beyond the Mafia." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2012, p. 6.General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=j123914&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA308599315&it=r&asid=9b95e1d8aa5e209aa05bcf92f7ee3820. Accessed 7 Apr. 2017.