The Origins Of The American Mafia

During the late 1800s and early 1900s immigration to a new better world, the United States Of America was in full swing. With all the immigration from so many different countries brought much diversity to America but it also brought a new type of crime, Organized Crime. This was due to a part that the Italian Sicilian Mafia was under attack from Mussolini regime but also the creation of the 18th amendment banning the sales, manufacturing, or transportation of any alcoholic beverage.

When talking about the American Mafia, mostly it’s referring to the Italians and their influence. During the height of the Mafia its influence on society was massive and mostly in a negative way. In pop culture, the Mafia represented violence, gang affiliations, and criminals. Although, in the perspective of our generation today some view them as heroes. The reason for this is mostly from the rise of hip-hop in society and how people view it.

Throughout time organized crime has had a prolific impact on the United States and the world as a whole. Specifically in the 1930’s when prohibition was in effect and even after it was repealed. Their was one group that stood out in the midst of all the organized crime of the 1930’s. That group is called the Mafia. The Italian based criminal syndicate was one of the most powerful and influential groups when it came to organized crime in the 1930’s. Their numbers were vast and their powerful reputation concerned the national government at the time. Though it is smaller in numbers today, the Mafia had its time of success and power for organized crime in the 1930’s.

The Mafia was first developed in Sicily in feudal times to protect the estates of landlords who were out of town. The word Mafia, derived from the Sicilian word, Mafioso, means family. Today, Mafia is a name which describes a loose association of criminal groups. These groups can be bound together by blood, oath or sworn secrecy. Many people had considered the Sicilian Mafia as the most ruthless mobsters of the twentieth century.

People refused to stop the selling and manufacturing of alcohol. Instead of prohibiting alcohol and lessening crime, the Volstead Act gave rise to bootleggers, rum-runners, and moonshiners. Rum-runners smuggled alcohol into the USA from Canada and Mexico. Moonshiners distilled their own alcohol at home. Likewise, one’s problems at home have influenced him to give in to the Mafia.

During the 1920s in an effort to reduce crime and corruption the prohibition on alcohol was passed, little did these law makers know they were only worsening the situation. The streets started to run rampant with crime, and bootleggers rose to power as organized raised as well. As organized crime rose so did the Mafiosas. Throughout the 20th century the mafia has controlled the organized crime scene with an unwavering fist only for its rule to be challenged by other families. The mafia 's bosses give each family its own unique style whether they be a media persona like Al Capone, A brutal killer like Charles Luciano, or completely insane like George Moran.

     Exactly what is the Mafia? Mafia, more specifically the Italian-American Mafia, is a group of criminals organized into "families," and operating primarily in North America. Also known as La Cosa Nostra, at one time there were 26 families in the United States - roughly one for each major city. The Mafia composed of bosses of numerous families, mostly New York, was the overseeing authority for all of the other La Cosa Nostra families. New York City is the place of origin for organized crime in the United States. Currently, there are five families in the New York City outfit of the La Cosa Nostra. The five families are, the Gambinos, Genovese, Colombo,

The American Mafia rose to power during the prohibition. They gained most of their power by entering the bootlegging business, and ended up becoming a huge

MAFIA - "a secret association having for its object the illicit control of any enterprise, legitimate or illegitimate, which it decides to infiltrate" (Allen 6).

The Sicilian Mafiosi escaped to the US after being attacked by the fascist regime, bringing with them mob culture (History Wed). The Italian Mafia is a secret society affiliated with organized crime and family ties. In the 1920’s The American Mafia, or La Cosa Nostra, was active across New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and New England (FBI Web). The Mob rose to power during the Prohibition era

The American underworld reared its head for the first time in the late nineteenth century. Since this time new waves of immigrants to the United States, primarily Italian, have facilitated in the rise of organized crime in America. Italian mafia members treated the workings in America as an extension of the Sicilian mafia rather than a new organization. The immigration of the Lucania family from Italy to the United States would be the cause of one of the most drastic changes in the workings of organized crime. Charles Luciano became the father of the modern American mafia.

The American Mafia, commonly known as the mafia, is an Italian-American criminal society. The American Mafia had the greatest impact among any criminal organization on the United States throughout its history. The business aspect, structure, and sense of “family” the mafia lived by were extremely strong and contributed to the success they have had. The shows mafia direct ties to United States Government branches, both on a small and large scale, and in both, good and bad ways. Also, the American Mafia has done reconnaissance work for military branches.

The Italian Mafia in the U.S. can trace its origins all the way back to the Sicilian Mafia which was founded in Sicily during the 1800’s (Italian Organized Crime). After thousands of years of different armies with different nationalities conquering Italy and exploiting its people, the Sicilians became to be more clannish and family focused. Originally they were just resistance fighters that were protecting their friends and family. They were relied on for protection, justice, and survival. Nobody cared if they got money from it because it came from the oppressive authorities. Members of these groups were known as “Men of Honor” and they were well respected and even admired because they looked out for their family and kept silent sometimes even unto death. They didn’t become an organized crime group until the 1920’s however (Italian Organized Crime). It was around this same time that the US began to see what later became La Cosa Nostra or “our thing,” better known as the American Mafia which was aided by the “thousands of Italian organized crime figures, mostly Sicilian Mafiosi” who came to the United States illegally (Italian Organized Crime). The modern American Mafia is credited to Charles “Lucky” Luciano who came over in the 1920’s (Italian Organized Crime). Luciano structured La Cosa Nostra just like their Sicilian

The word Mafia itself has many meanings. In Arabic it means "refuge", which refers to the origins of the Mafia as a society that fled to the hills of Italy to avoid attack. Some Italians hold it as a word of high respect implying strength, courage, agility, quickness, endurance, and

The American Mafia, an Italian-American sorted out wrongdoing system with operations in urban communities over the United States, especially New York and Chicago, rose to control through its accomplishment in the illegal alcohol exchange amid the 1920s Prohibition period. After Prohibition, the Mafia moved into other criminal endeavors, from medication trafficking to illicit betting, while additionally invading worker 's parties and honest to goodness organizations, for example, development and New York 's article of clothing industry. The