The Criminal Legends

The Criminal Legends

A man by the name of Steve Allen once said. "Ours is a government of checks and balances. The Mafia and crooked businessmen make out checks, and the politicians and other compromised officials improve their bank balances." This quote essentially embodied the essence of how the 1920s were run. The Roaring Twenties brought about many historical events that have changed American history. The 1920s was an innovative and revolutionary decade that introduced the mafia into America. It was a time of organized crime, arts, literature, new styles of music, and key inventions such as the radio. The mafia controlled many of the American industries through illegal activities and extortion. With the mafia at the top of the food chain, they were insuperable even to the government officials. As one looks into the history of the mafia, great icons such as Al Capone are introduced, and the overall structure and rituals behind the mafia really prove why they are the most notorious gangs in history.

The Mafia has a deep rooted history of iconic leaders and brutal crimes, making them a key aspect of the 1920s. The Mafia can be dated all the way back to the 1890s, when they first became known by the American government and citizens. An execution-style murder of New Orleans Police Superintendent David Henness by the Mafia or Mob really kicked their crime activity within the United States into high gear (Benson 14). This heinous crime proved that the Mob was on their way to ruling the big city streets, and their criminal activity would only escalade from there. In addition to violent crimes, the Mob also used the support of people to grow in strength. One of their main tactics was extortion which was when they would, "offer citizens protection from the government in exchange for a fee" (Benson 15). With this new tactic, the mafia was beginning to rule entire cities. Finally, the mafia had such a powerful history because of the number of members they had in the gang. With "so many people working together within the Mafia, their crimes were difficult to detect and bust" (Benson 15). Every single aspect and feature within the Mafia made it extremely hard for government officials to take down the Mafia.

The Mob was regarded as more than just a criminal group but rather as family. Throughout their history, their rituals and codes can be seen as a way to keep them together and loyal to each other. First off was the Mob's code of Omerta, which means "those who call the police are fools or cowards" (Benson 15). Rather than calling the police, they would instead avenge themselves by hurting or killing whoever did harm to them. This was their way of exemplifying the strength of the mafia. Furthermore, the mafia had rituals in which new members had to go through to become a part of the gang, which involved members "pricking his finger to draw blood and holding a burning picture of a patron saint while taking an oath of loyalty" ("Mafia in the United States"). Rituals such as this one were extremely important to ensure that all members once a part of the mafia, were in for life. "By the mid 20th century, there were 24 known crime families in America, compromised of an estimated 5,000 members" ("Mafia in the United States"). With numbers like these, criminal activity went up, and the government knew something had to be done. The only way to end the mafia was to take down their leader Al Capone.

Alphonse Capone was an iconic criminal figure during the 1920s and grew famous through his harsh crimes and brutal attitude. He was the most respected figure within