...against a failed government and others would see them as revenge against the bad guys. Hollywood would put the gangster in a mostly retributive frame with the negativity of the gangster myth ratifying the belief in the public enemy system. This would be seen as the result of the collapse of law enforcement in a society or loss of morality, and ultimately social disorder. William Wellman’s The Public Enemy (1931) starred James Cagney as the fast talking and cocky Tom Powers and his most famous line, “I’m on top of the world Ma!” This is an example of a well dressed man with street smarts who is a criminal bootlegger and womanizer. One of the films most controversial and pivotal scenes is when Tom Powers assaults his floozy girlfriend with a grapefruit by slamming it into her face at the breakfast table. Howard Hawkins “Scarface: The Shame of a Nation” (1932) starred Paul Muni as a Immature, power hungry, monstrous and beastly hood in prohibition era Chicago, whose character was loosely based on Al Capone. This is the first movie to use the machine gun by a gangster, depicted by Italian-American immigrants, who goes on a murderess spree killing 28 people in all. Enrico (“Rico”) Bandello who epitomized the rise and fall of the gangster. Edward G. Robinson was the first Gangster star in this genre. These career criminals live double lives as respectable business men, who defy the law, and are tough who also operate under...
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...St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: A Different View of Al Capone Many people sometimes wonder why there is so much violence among gangs. Why can’t they just get along? The most famous event that occurred in the 1920’s was St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. This day will be remembered since it deeply affected the widely known gangster, Al Capone. This was just the beginning of his downfall and it all began on February 14, 1929. First of all, Chicago had split into two rival gangs led by Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran, by the late 1920’s. Both of these leaders vied for power, prestige, and money (Rosenberg 1). Much of the problems arose after Capone’s former enemy Dion O’ Banion was killed and it started an all-out-war in the city (The St. 1). Moran was soon the new leader. Capone’s hopes of obtaining more territory were diminished and this frustrated him. Al Capone soon began to brainstorm into developing an attempt towards George “Bugs” Moran (Rosenberg 1). Capone’s reputation as a bootlegger would soon change into horror. In order for everything to turn out as planned, Al Capone obtained help from Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn. McGurn was placed in charge to organize an assassination attempt towards “Bugs” Moran. McGurn was said to have survived many attempts so he was perfect for Madueño 2 the job. The plan was to select gunmen outside of the Chicago area. This was to ensure that if there were any survivors, they wouldn’t be able to recognize the killers as part of Capone’s...
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...Al Capone got his nickname scarface when he got into a fight at a saloon and was slashed in the face by a knife or razor in his youth. The height of Al Capone’s infamous criminal career was during the 1920’s. The 1920’s was a time of great crime partly because of the Prohibition, which was when alcohol was banned within the United States. Crime rose during the Prohibition because although alcohol was banned by the government it was still very popular and highly sought after by many Americans, and they turned to gangs to help them access it. Most of the famous gangs and gangsters who rose to power during this time were from Chicago, where Capone was head of the Mafia. Why was the law always after Al Capone? All of the crimes committed by Al Capone during his early life, while he was head of the Chicago mafia, and the crimes that eventually put him in jail were all of the reasons why...
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...The 18th amendment. It caused corruption, a spike in criminal activity, and organized crime. The 18th amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. The prohibition of alcohol denied the American people the right to think for themselves The amendment caused more harm than it did good. Alcohol production became unregulated and the business got dirty. The 18th amendment is criticized for its effects on America, yet some view it as having a positive effect on history. Although alcohol was prohibited in America, people continued drinking. Many Americans felt that the government had no right to tell them what to do with their body. Only 19% of Americans supported prohibition. This lack of support for the cause...
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...Karen Dade Ms. Benson US History, Block 4 5 May, 2014 Failure of the Prohibition 18th amendment was doomed to fail from the beginning. Numerous reasons show why it was a failure. Even though intentions were noble, the 18th amendment didn't achieve it's goals but rather caused many problems that it intended to be solved. The 18th amendment was a failing law from the beginning and had given many organized group of criminals power in corruption that caused crime in the U.S. The Volstead Act enforced the 18th amendment by “prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages for consumption" (Sann 62). The Volstead Act had clarify the law. The law had began with any type of intoxicating liquor beverage for example wine or beer over 0.5 percent alcohol. (Sann 62).It had also explained that by owning an item that promoted or tolerated alcohol became illegal. If the law was broken, there was a punishment which could bring you jail time. Even though the government enforced the law, there were many loopholes to drink legally. Citizens were only allowed the use of alcohol if you were prescribed by the doctor. Very large prescriptions were written which did not help the Volstead Act.(Sann 192) It did not help stop people from consuming alcohol. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded and organized in 1874 to encourage the 18th amendment. They were sent by the missionaries to spread the word about temperance. The issue was recognized...
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...Chapter I INTRODUCTION Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis iis an English word that refers to a lung disease that is otherwise known as silicosis. It is the longest word in the English language published in a dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is "an artificial long word said to mean a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust."[1] Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis Statement of the problem 1. What is the couse of Pneumoconiosis? 2. How can it be prevented? 3. What are the symptoms? 4. How can affect in our body? 5. What are the treatment? Statement of the Hypothesis HO1: .A pneumoconiosis cause by inhalation of every fine silicate or quartz dust which is found in volcanic ash. HO2: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is fairly easy to prevent. Most countries do not have any volcanoes or any other places where silica dust exposure is likely. In case you live in one of the countries that does, here are few ways how to prevent this disease: Do not go in or near an active or non-dormant volcano. Do not expose yourself to silica dust for long periods of time. If or long periods of time...
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...underprivileged, rose to wealth and success through hard work, honesty, self-confidence, commitment, and a bit of luck (Weiss 53-54) - characterized the progressive spirit, as it encouraged people to work hard for a better future and for the fulfillment of the American dream. Full Text (5892 words) Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Sep 2010 "You don't need to be ordering fancy duds," Frankie Rio advised his boss as a tailor took measurements of Capone's swollen physique at the Lexington Hotel. "You're going to prison. Why don't you have a suit made with stripes on it?" "The hell I am," Al shot back. "I'm going back to Florida for a nice long rest, and I need some new clothes before I go." In this irrationally jaunty mood, he ordered two new lightweight suits and made plans for an extended stay at his Palm Island hacienda. (Bergreen 485) This excerpt from Laurence Bergreen's biography of Al Capone informs the reader...
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...The Moonshining Culture INTRODUCTION Who here has either seen or heard of the show Moonshiners off the Discovery channel? In the show these moonshiners refer to what they do as part of their “heritage and culture.” I being a big fanatic of the show have decided to research this “heritage.” It turns out, the people in the show were right. Moonshining is a very vast and unique culture that’s roots date back to the early 1800’s. Moonshiners have their own region, lifestyle, and mark on history. BODY I. The moonshining culture and practice all started and remains in the Appalachian Region of the United States. A. There are some reasons behind the choosing of this location. 1. For one, it is a region that is mostly rural and covered by woodlands. a. Because the practice is illegal. The trees and low population gives moonshiners the advantage of being undetected by people and the law. 2. Along with the advantage of being discrete. This land is also perfect for making moonshine. a. First off, the ingredients to making moonshine can be grown naturally within the land. 1. These ingredients include corn meal, yeast, water, malt, and sugar b. The second advantage to the landscape is the vast amount of flowing rivers found within the region. 1. These flowing rivers are necessary in order to both cool down and run through the stills. II. Moonshiners also have a very unique lifestyle. A. They are strong believers in their values. 1. They are a very hard working...
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...votes. Then congress passed the Volstead Act a law that officially enforced the amendment. People that said the ban of alcohol was the right thing were advocates of prohibition. They were called “dry’s”. They said it improved individuals; strengthen families and then society on a whole. It was also that liver disease and so forth declined during this prohibition. The “wets” also known as the opponents of prohibition countered that the ban of alcohol did not stop people from drinking. They said prohibition created hypocrisy and increased organized crime. The Volstead act did not stop Americans from drinking but it did stop them from buying it legally. So instead people made homemade alcohol or smuggled it in from other countries. Bootleggers sold illegal alcohol to consumers. In different cities they were secret establishments known as speakies , attracted eager customers for alcohol. The government tried their best to stop illegal alcohol but it got too out of control, the demand for alcohol was too great, and there weren’t enough policemen to stop this. In some cities if alcohol was involved in a situation the government and police men looked the other way. They said if people wanted the drink they were going...
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...The Role of Prohibition and its Fluidity The American Dream during the 1920’s was truly wonderful to Americans, and to some, was only a dream. This “dream” had just about everything someone needed to live an exciting and happy life. Money would not always be a problem. However, there was one thing missing from their lives that caused uproar. That would be the absence of alcohol in the daily lives of Americans. Prohibition, or the Eighteenth Amendment in the Constitution, made the production and consumption of alcohol illegal. Those who added this Amendment believed that alcohol was entirely bad thing. All it did was create problems, and to get rid of the source of it (being alcohol) would solve and prevent them. Sadly, that did not happen. Widespread law breaking and violence were two of the handful of issues created by this deprivation of alcohol. It was a law that had good intention, but ceased to be successful due to Americans’ strong desire for “some” unnecessary drinks. Prohibition was hoped to be beneficial to all of the Americans. It was the idea of saving America from sadness and sin that ended up with the creation of the Eighteenth Amendment. Looking at it from this point of view can make many people nod their head in agreement when said that Prohibition was a beneficial and overall positive thing. If it was thought to aid America and save it from any kind of harm, then people would never think of it as a hindrance to their enjoyment of life. However, the result...
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...Christian Temperance Union. The WCTU has been around since 1873 , so when the prohibition act passed they were quite happy. They played a huge role in starting up prohibition by being wives of heavy drinkers. A group of women founds themselves in common with one another when speaking about how too much money is spent at the saloons. So they started protesting, creating Anti-alcohol educational programs, and speaking out to the public as to how bad alcohol is. Once they were supported by Susan B. Anthony they thought they were cutting deep but little did they know that they only scratched the surface with their mild riots. Along with the WCTU there was the Anti-Saloon League, an organization that was determined to stop drinking. What makes the ALS so great is that is was supported by Democrats, Republicans, The Klu Klux Klan , Baptists, and even big shots like Andrew Carnegie. The reason for that is because it played off America’s Military . Their Military and their military’s enemies were the heros and villians at the time. So when the ASL put out propaganda that connected drinking to supporting Germans everyone took action. This very action fueled prohibition more than no other as it was ratified in just little over a year. On the other side, there was not any massive anti-prohibition organizations. There were organizations such as The Crusaders, or the AAPA (Association Against the Prohibition Amendment) who would strongly push for the repeal, but they were not as hungry as the...
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...the severity of crimes, the “Noble Experiment” led to the organization of crime and increased violence. Underground speakeasies were established almost immediately where unregulated liquor from bootleggers was sold secretly. Although they were secret, speakeasies attracted a great amount of customers. They provided entertainment and meals, thus taking money away from the restaurants that were located in the nearby area. Another way in which the law was ignored was with the use of unnecessary prescriptions from physicians. Drug stores made large profits off of patients without any real medical issues. In the city of Chicago, Illinois, upwards of 7,000 doctors and 57,000 drug store owners applied to obtain licenses to sell liquor for medicinal purposes. (Behr, 84) The demand for any type of alcohol was higher than it had ever been and many legal distributors were bound to benefit tremendously from the potential market. The extreme demand for liquor is also what led to the rise of the mafia and mob bosses like the infamous Al Capone and Dean O’Banion. These bosses led gangs that took part in smuggling, bootlegging, and illegally selling alcohol. They also gambled, committed violent offences, and took over breweries through intimidation of the former owners. The rival gangs led by Capone and O’Banion often took part in clashes over their “territories.” They took part in what were known as “Beer Wars” for a number of years and this rivalry in Chicago resulted in over a hundred gang...
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...The Age of The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald tells a legendary love story from the perspective of the narrator named Nick. The reader sees and hears about all the crazy parties, love stories, breakups and much, much more that all seem to stem from a dynamic character named Jay Gatsby. The story takes place in a promiscuous and rebellious period called the roaring twenties, the time period right before the great depression, and to make it worst in the city that never sleeps. The roaring twenties period is the backbone of this story, characters in the novel directly correlate with the illegal, rebellious, and careless behaviors that are seen in the twenties. The prohibition caused lots of problems in this time period when it came to crime and binge drinking. First It is important to understand the social, political and economic effects of prohibition. In 1917 the Eighteenth Amendment was passed and stated that you couldn’t make, sell or transport any alcohol. The prohibitionist movement had a wide variety of supporters, including: Women, Church’s, employers and politicians. In the 1928 Presidential campaign Herbert Hoover won by calling prohibition “a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and farreaching in purpose; " this is interesting because it shows to the public that he is in favor of prohibition, but by calling it an experiment it shows that he may have some concerns about it .It definitely was an experiment...
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...Year 10 Revision Timelines: The Roaring Twenties Women Before First World War * Women could not vote. * Middle/upper class women did not work but had the role of mothers and housewives. Working class women had low paid jobs such as factory work and cleaning. * Women usually wore full length dresses, wore no make up and had their hair tied back in buns. * Divorce was very rare and so was sex before marriage. * Women did not smoke or drink in public. * They had to go out with a chaperone (a family member) when they met their boyfriend. How did the First World War change the lives of women? * During the war, women began to work in areas like heavy industry. They proved they could work as well as men. By 1929, there were 10 million women workers; a rise of 24% since 1920. * Working gave women independence and they began smoking and drinking in public. * Women were given the vote in August 1920 but few were chosen to be actual politicians. * Production of consumer goods such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines meant women had more time for leisure activities. * Flappers emerged in the 1920’s = women from middle and upper class families from the Northern States. They cut their hair in short bobs, wore make up, short skirts and bright clothes. They also smoked and drank in public, went to speakeasies, danced the Charleston with men and listened to Jazz and drove cars and motorbikes. * BUT many groups, particularly...
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...Chapter 21: The Roaring Life of the 1920s Section 1: Changing Ways of Life I. Rural and Urban Differences A. Between 1922 and 1929, migration to the cities accelerated, with nearly 2 million people leaving farms and towns each year (small town values change) 1. City dwellers judged one another by their accomplishments more often than their background a. City dwellers tolerated drinking, gambling, and casual dating (shocking and sinful in small towns) 2. Cities could be impersonal and frightening b. Life was fast paced and neighbors were not as neighborly B. Prohibition: the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were legally prohibited 3. 18th Amendment: ratified Jan, 1919 and repealed by the 21st Amendment in Dec, 1933 C. Positive Opinions/Results of Prohibition: 4. Progressives wanted it banned to stop family violence, crime, and poverty c. Support for prohibition was found in the rural native-Protestant dominated West and South d. The church-affiliated Anti-Saloon League led the drive to pass Prohibition e. Woman’s Christian Temperance Union considered drinking a sin 5. WW I reformers advocated prohibition as a war measure f. People were concerned that many German Americans owned many of the brewers g. Drinking reduced the efficiency of soldiers and workers 6. Learned we must...
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