mafia Essay

Local believed they could not trust Spanish law enforcement officials, and so they organized their own protection societies that eventually evolved into the Mafia(“United States History.”). When they immigrated to the United States they banded together of again because of a lack of trust for police, government, and their rights. When organized crime exploded the Mafias saw it as their chance to band together to make a

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 Specifically in the 1930’s when prohibition was in effect and even after it was repealed.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.

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.

We may not see this group but the mafia was big back in the day. The mafia was the leading group in criminal activity in the 1960’s(Darity). The mafia was a group that would make tons and tons of money off of drugs, robberies and murders. They would sometimes pay off cops to look the other way and if they didn’t get what they wanted they would use their firearms. With stronger and more enforced laws, many lives could have been saved.

     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,

This also padded the pockets of these mobsters, providing them with the funds to literally out gun the authorities. With money comes power, and gangsters had a lot of money. Often the police would be bribed to turn the other way when a mobster committed a crime. Scarface Al Capone, or Scarface, was arguably the most feared mob boss that there was. Capone was known for doing every crime that could be

Besides the crimes that were murder for hire the mafia also did many other crimes that would make not only Carlo Gambino a feared character but the whole organization financially stable. It was prohibition that brought rivalry between the mafia crime families. The rivalry was to determine who had more territory and control over the city; specifically

Early 1900s and in to late 1930s a new group of people emerged that heavily influenced popular culture in America. It was time period where mobsters and organized crime was at its peak in the United States. These gangs were highly organized and committed numerous crimes especially during the prohibition laws, making them some of the most notorious gangsters in American history. These mobsters where feared across cities due to their audacity to enforce their power and do whatever it took to establish their authority. These mobsters would defy the law, at times even buying judges, cops, and even union delegates. The amount of money these individuals pushed was enough to have a whole city beneath their feet. These men where feared all around city, but

The Mafia way of life may seem like a romantic updated version of the western movie played out on the streets of the big cities where the good guys and the wise guys who share the same instincts and values do battle before an enthralled public but it is actually very different. The Mafia is really just a group of uneducated thugs making money by victimizing the public. Initially, the Mafia was setup as a prominent supplier of bootlegged liquor, but it has spread into many different areas of crime. During this research paper I will discuss three aspects of the Mafia which are crime, structure and decline in leadership.

The Mafia really gained a large majority of its power in the 1920’s when prohibition was a law in the U.S.(Powell). As the Mafia evolved over time, so did its criminal activities, which included gambling, extortion, smuggling, drug trafficking and

The mafia is greatly established in America and Italy, as well as Sicily, where people were being invaded by foreigners. The term mafioso arose not with criminal connections, but rather it was someone who was suspicious of the authorities. However, eventually they began to ask for “protection money” to protect the citizens. And eventually they became corrupt and was known as the Sicilian mafia. The American Mafia arose around the 1920’s with many similarities to the Italian mafia, like the Omerta. The Omerta was a code of conduct among the mafia, based on loyalty and etc.

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

Imagine living in a world where crime ruled. A world where gangsters were more powerful than politicians, owned the police, and ran the city in whatever way they felt. They robbed whom they wanted and killed when they didn't get their way. Now stop imagining and realize that this happened here in the United States of America in the 1920's. It was run by an organization made up mainly of Italians called the Mafia.