History Coursework: Organized Crime and The Prohibition Era

Organized Crime and The Prohibition Era
Student’s Name
Institution
Organized Crime and The Prohibition Era
Temperance movements and religious activists dominated the 19th century and they had an upper hand in pushing for morally accepted traits in society. The movements agitated for the abolishment of slavery, alcohol abuse, among other vices (Oliver, 2018). The States of Massachusetts set the stage for the Prohibition era when they banned alcohol sales in 1838. The push from women, factory owners, evangelists, and other statesmen propelled the United States toward passing the Prohibition amendment (Oliver, 2018). World War I also necessitated the temporal ban on alcohol by president Woodward Wilson to ensure commitment in war. The Prohibition amendment act ratified in 1919 marked the start of the Prohibition era that curtailed the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol in the United States. The enforcement of such laws had drastic repercussions, both to the local and federal governments. The era had a dramatic impact on crime syndicates and organizations, illegal dealings, arrest rates, and governance, which eventually resulted in the short life of the legislation.
The Prohibition that was entirely enforced by the police force brought about some positive impacts such as the decline in domestic violence, efficiency in war, and development of factories. However, since the freedom of alcohol production and consumption had been infringed, the famous noble experiment led to increased illegal alcohol deals that later culminated in crime. Gangsters like the Al Capone in Chicago rejuvenated and benefited immensely from the illegal bootlegging operations (Ramser, 2016). Another well-known gangster of the Prohibition era was Lucky Luciano who had connections in Scotland, Canada, and the Caribbean (Ramser, 2016). The illegal gangsters accumulated large sums of wealth that the rendered them untouchable, and their illegal trades hardly questioned.
The famous gangsters of the Prohibition era did...