Prohibition, Gangsters and the Glorification of Crime in the 1920s The Lawless Decade Prohibition, Gangsters and the Glorification of Crime in the 1920s
Prohibition Championed by the Anti-Saloon League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Many states pass anti-drinking laws in Progressive Era Wilson bans beer production to conserve grain for war effort
Prohibition 18th Amendment, ratified 1919 Volstead Act Banned manufacture and sale of “intoxicating liquors” Volstead Act Banned anything with more than 0.5% alcohol
Enforcement Very lax Government never spent money to hire more agents Spent only $5 million when $300 million needed Led to underground economy Speakeasies Gangsters
Per Capita Consumption of Alcohol, 1910-29 Source: Clark Warburton, The Economic Results of Prohibition (New York: Columbia University Press, 1932), pp. 23-26, 72.
Al Capone Chicago gangster Wealth made in alcohol and prostitution “Active” in Chicago politics No one would testify against him
Al Capone’s “Free Lunch” Restaurant During Depression
Leopold & Loeb, 1924 Two teenagers kidnap and kill 14 year old boy From wealthy families “Thrill Killers” Crime and trial a sensation Life sentences Richard Loeb Nathan Leopold
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre February 14, 1929, Chicago Capone’s gang murders 7 from a rival gang - execution style Brutality of event leads feds to crack down on Capone Capone arrested in 1931
Murder Rate, 1910-44 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1975), part 1, p. 414.
Prohibition’s Demise Problems Not enforceable Rise in crime Loss of tax revenue People switch to “harder” liquor Blaine Act allowed 3.2% alcohol beer (1933) 21st Amendment repeals Prohibition (1933)
Crime Continues to Captivate Public Enemy Era Bonnie & Clyde John Dillinger Ma Barker All met glorious (and bloody) ends Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow