His 204 - American History Since 1865

Organized Crime on American Society

Leslie Stillwagon

HIS204: American History Since 1865

Instructor: Mark Davis

July 18, 2011

When most people think of the Mafia they think, murderers and gamblers. But in fact the Mafia is more than just a bunch of “wise guys” sitting around gambling. For years organized crime families have provided for many and brought wealth to their communities. In the early years of America, organized crime helped pave a way for many of the American cities to grow to what they are today. Most of the “families” provide for more than one hundred people per community. An examination of the history of organized crime in this century points to some of the effects the existence of these criminal organizations have had on American culture.

The earliest organized crime groups were founded in immigrant communities, where law enforcement was often lax or even hostile to new arrivals. Certain criminal leaders saw ways to extract money from immigrants for “protection,” guaranteeing their homes and businesses would be safe if the leaders were paid. These same men also set up operations supporting gambling, counterfeiting, and prostitution, from which they profited without having to pay any taxes. Frequently organized crime groups were abetted by corrupt local law enforcement and local politicians, who were bribed to provide protection from law enforcement or secure contracts for mob-affiliated businesses. By the 1920’s, organized crime elements were operating in virtually every major American city along the eastern seaboard and in the Midwest, with major centers in New York and Chicago.

It is believed that the real start of organized crime in America was with the start of Prohibition, The Eighteenth Amendment, which stated “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.” This is partially true as this is when many of the crime syndicates began their illegal activities, especially the selling of illegal spirits. As more Sicilian gangsters immigrated to the U.S., they expanded their criminal activities from extortion to loan-sharking, prostitution, drugs and alcohol, robbery, kidnapping, and murder. In the beginning, the Mafia preyed mostly on the Southern Italians who had settled in America, though by 1904, they had branches in most parts of the United States and preyed on anyone that they could. They became such a problem that a special police force was formed to try and fight it. The New York