USA - 3. Crime + Corruption

When was the Prohibition Amendment Act?

January 1919

What did the prohibition amendment act do?

It stopped the manufacture, sale and transport of intoxicating liquors

When was the Volstead Act?

1920

What was the Volstead Act?

Banned intoxicating liquors with more than 0.5% alcohol

Who became responsible for enforcing prohibition?

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Why was Patriotism a reason for the introduction of Prohibition?

Beer was linked to Germany so tensions grew during the war and beer was nicknamed 'Kaiser's Brew'. People thought alcohol was 'wasting grain' needed for food in the war.

Who were the powerful organisations who were campaigning for prohibition?

The Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti Saloon League

What did the Temperance Movement believe in?

Alcohol was the root cause of societies problems such as poverty, suffering, crime, ill-health and inefficiency at work

How did the anti-immigration feeling help to introduce prohibition?

Immigrants were associated with alcohol and the increasing xenophobia as well as WW1 made it easier for the government to introduce prohibition because there were several other changes such as rationing.

Give a statistic of the production of campaign leaflets by the WCTU.

Produced over 100 million between 1909-1923

What were bootleggers?

Smugglers who brought illegal liquor supplies into the cities. Rum was brought from the West Indies and Whisky came from Canada.

What was Moonshine and Bathtub Gin?

Alcohol which was made at home in illegal stills by adding other ingredients to gin. It often caused illness and poising which could lead to blindness.

How many illict stills for Bathtub Gin were seized in 1930 and by who?

282,122 were seized by government agents.

Give statistics and info about the Prohibition Bureau and Agents.

There were 1500-2300 agents employed to enforce prohibition who were badly paid but 1 in 12 agents were sacked for bribes and some of them started to be taken to work in a chauffeur driven cars which brought attention to the corruption at the time.

Give 3 examples of famous Prohibition Agents

Izzy Einstein, Moe Smith and Eliot Ness.

What were speakeasies?

They were basement bars such as the '21 club' in New York and they had locked doors and peepholes with passwords on entry for secrecy.

Give facts about the number of speakeasies

There were more than the pre-1919 saloons 1929 more than 32,000 in New York.

Give a fact about the profit gangsters made in prohibition

Made about $2 billion a year

What happened when the police were bribed by gangsters to turn a blind eye to bootlegging from 1926-27? Give a statistic.

There were 130 murders in Chicago by gansters

What was Al Capones nickname?

Scarface

How did Al Capone work his journey to fame?

His ran criminal errands for Jim Colosimo but when he was murdered in May 1920 by the Torrio gang h became a part of that group. Jonny Torrio led him to Chicago where he became the leader of the 'Chicago Outlet'.

What did Al Capone do to his rivals in Chicago? Give a statistic.

He killed more than 200 from 1925-29 so his gang could thrive.

Who did Al Capone help to become the elected mayor and why?

He spent over 250,000 to get Big Bill Thompson elected.

How did Al Capone manipulate his public perception?

He ordered stores to give clothes and food to the needy to show he thought about charity. He also brought famous musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to clubs to gain popularity.

When was the St Valentines Day Massacre?

February 14th 1929

What happened on February 14th 1919?

St Valentines Day Massacre

What happened at the St Valentines day Massacre?

Bugs Moran who was the leader of a rival gang escaped death but 7 of his men were machine-gunned in a garage by Capones men dressed as police officers. Capone was in Florida for the perfect alibi.

When was Al Capone arrested?

1931

Why was Al Capone prosecuted?

For the income tax evasion from 1925-29

Give 2 details about Al Capones arrest?

He had to serve 11 years in prison and was fined $50,000

When was the Wall Street Crash?

October 1929

When was the Prohibition law abolished?

5th December 1933

Give 3 reasons why there was an end to prohibition.

Negative consequences: Public Demand: Economics/Taxes

Explain why 'economics' lead to the end of Prohibition

The Wall Street crash in October 1929 caused an economic depression and the government needed money which could be gained by taxing alcohol if it was made legal again.

What was the Ohio Gang?

A group of Hardings friends who were appointed to governemnt positions

Give an example of corruption within the Ohio Gang

Smith sold pharmacy permits for alcohol and he made money from these sales

Who is Albert Fall?

President Harding's Secretary of the Interior

What did Albert Fall do?

He leased government oil fields that were national emergency reserves to earn money - The Teapot Dome Scandal

What is the name of President Harding's Secretary of the Interior?

He was head of the Mammoth Oil Company

How much money did Albert Fall make from selling oil fields?

About $400,000

How did suspicions grow after Albert Fall sold the oil fields?

They were secret deals but he suddenly started to spend large amounts of money so the Senate demanded an investigation.

What happened to President Harding after the investigation?

He became distressed and ill. He got pneumonia and died in August 1923

What was the result of the Teapot Dome Scandal Investigation?

In 1927, the supreme court found Albert Fall guilty of bribery and he was fined $100,000 and sentenced to 1 year in prison. He was the first government official imprisoned and Sinclair also had a short sentence.

Where is the Teapot Dome oil fields?

In Wyoming