In source E there is a table showing the number of arrests for drinking offences in Philadelphia between 1920 and 1925. The numbers show the dramatic increase in the number of prosecutions, drunkenness and drunken driving in 5 years. The number of drunkenness went from 14313 in 1920 to 51361 in 1925, connoting that the problem is getting worse and increasing the each year, becoming harder for the government to grab hold of it and solve it, this supports source C as Uncle Sam (US Government) can’t handle the amount of bottles (alcohol) thrown at him by the devil (alcohol dealers) and in source D the number of corrupt agents means that its harder for Uncle Sam again to solve the problem due to the extent of it. Most of the figures have increased during the 5 years but the number of drunkenness and disorderly conduct went down from 6097 in 1920 to 5232 in 1921, it reached a peak of 8076 in 1923 and then reduced again during the two years to 5522 in 1925, which in a way contradicts the other offences and suggests that this offence is decreasing or it could just be that less officers are reporting them because they may be corrupt, which would support source D. But the number of total prosecutions has almost doubled in the 5 years suggesting that the immense scale of the problem is not finding a solution due to corrupt agents and a weak government as stated in both sources C and D. However, the rise in the total prosecution figure could show that the prohibition agents were effective and arrested criminals which do not support Source C.
3. Study sources B, D and H, and use your own knowledge. Use sources D and H, and your own knowledge to explain why the life described in Source B did not come about.
Source B is an article from the American Issue which is an anti-alcohol paper written on the 16 January 1920. The slogan of this paper was “A Saloonless Nation and a Stainless Flag”. The article was meant to describe what would happen after the Prohibition started, a nation without alcohol. It was hoped that that the prohibition would no longer see “drunken husbands and fathers homecoming”, meaning that wives could look forward to when their husband come home for Christmas or even everyday rather than be scared and disappointed, children can actually play with the fathers rather than be terrified of them or scared that the wont eat that night because their fathers wasted all the money on alcohol at the saloons. Men would become “industrious”, they will work harder and take the money home to pay for food and bills rather then become a ‘slave of the saloon’ and give it to the bar tender. It also mentions that there would be “less crime to prosecute” as their will not be any drunkenness associated crimes to be committed with no alcohol.
However, this ideal life was nowhere near the reality. Source D which is an extract from Only Yesterday, a book by US journalist in 1931, near the end of prohibition, tells us that plans weren’t running how they were meant to, prohibition agents were easy to bribe as their wages were very low from the government meaning that gangsters could easily transport alcohol around as there was no one to stop them as source D suggests, which goes against what was being said in source B “there will be an increase in the respect for the law”, there was no respect anymore, people had lost faith, I think that people had more respect and faith in gangster, (especially Al Capone) than in the law, as it was corrupt. Also my knowledge and research tells me that its wasn’t just agents being bribed but other authority figures like police and judges were also being controlled by gangsters.
The rise of speakeasies suggested that people wanted alcohol, there was increasing public demand for something that was meant to be illegal, people enjoyed alcohol and the thrill they received once they drank alcohol, plus the rise in gangsters and speakeasies meant that alcohol was becoming more available and more people could get hold of it, it was a matter of walking down the street. There was a lack of public support for prohibition which meant that would continue to drink whether or not it was illegal.
The large illegal business and distribution of alcohol meant that there were huge profits to be made by both gangsters from the sale of alcohol and authority figures from bribes they would receive from gangsters to allow them to continue with the business, and the longer the business went on the more profits both parties could make, so it was seen as a win-win situation for everyone, well not for the families left to pick up the pieces of damage caused by the husbands wasting money on alcohol rather than food for the children and bills. The fact that the police and agents were corrupt meant that it was getting increasingly hard to locate and close down such speakeasies, meaning that the cycle continues as more work gangsters and more bribes and profits to the agents and less effort to crack down on the problem.
Distribution and importing were easy due to America’s long borders with un-prohibited countries which made smuggleling very easy. What also made it easy for gangsters was that there was a high demand for alcohol, so the job was a simple supply and demand as supported by source H “I make money by supplying a popular demand”.
Source H is a quote of Al Capone, speaking in 1930. The quote states “You can’t cure thirst by law”, which directly opposes part of the statement in source B where it states “saloon with its long train of attendant evils had been overthrown”, because the evil (men who attend saloons/ speakeasies and gangsters) have not been overthrown, in fact they have become stronger than the government and in some respect control the government, also supported by source D. Men have become addicted to alcohol; they cannot stop drinking just because the government decides to ban it. The bribing of agents allows gangsters to continue their illegal, but highly successful alcohol business. People were more scared of gangsters than the law, as gangsters used violence to intimidate people, and to stop them from reporting them to the police (which wouldn’t do anything as they will just bribe them).
Capone was seen as a respectable figure and people like him, where as in fact he was a cold-blooded murderer and criminal. The most infamous incident was the St Valentine's Day massacre in 1929 when Capone's men killed seven members of his rival Moran's gang while Capone lay innocently on a beach in Florida. After that incident it was believed that people started to see the evil side of Capone.
Therefore as result the life described in source B was not made into a reality because of the immense problems with supply and demand, as well the government being bribed and controlled by gangster as well as many other reasons mentioned above. These reasons were supported by sources D, H and E and suggest that people and especially gangsters did not respect, let alone abide the Prohibition law. And still the flag remained the covered in liquor stains.
4. Study sources F, G, I and J. How useful are these sources in helping you to understand the attitudes to Prohibition in the 1920's and early 1930's?
Source F is a part of an article by Alec Wilder, a New York composer, speaking in the 1950s. He describes his experience in the speakeasies, one important comment is where he says “I started drinking in speaks”, suggesting that people that didn’t drink wanted to try out for the thrill and must have got addicted to it like a drug. As far as usefulness, I don’t think this source is that useful as it was written couple of decades after the prohibition, and would count as a secondary source rather than a primary source. Plus after such a long time people’s memory may not be as precise as they make it out to be. But can be seen as useful in aspects of describing the atmosphere inside a speakeasy, and does seem to help understand the attitude, in that people were happy to attend speakeasies for the thrill and obviously to have a drink, and majority were happy to attend, they weren’t forced, plus you experience a feeling of acceptance “you belonged to a special society”.
Source G is an extract from Only Yesterday, a book written by a journalist in 1931 describing the life of the notorious gangster Al Capone, and how a he took advantage of the situation and managed to make millions and a name for himself out of it. The article goes on to say how he wanted “control” of Chicago and by the middle of the decade he had achieved that control. Immediately you see that source is biased towards Al Capone and in favour of him and the business he ran. The source shows the journalist was in favour of Capone supplying the public alcohol by saying that "Capone acquired more finesse" meaning that Capone was seen a businessman supplying the public’s demand rather than a ruthless gangster. This source can be seen as useful as it gives the reader a good insight in Capone’s life and the way he got control of the city by getting control of the government, the source shows how corrupt the city was to allow Capone to install “his own mayor in office”.
Source I is a photograph of Al Capone shown on the front of time, a leading US weekly magazine in 1930. The fact that Capone is on the cover suggest that he was seen as a public icon rather than a feared gangster. In the photograph he is shown smiling and as if to be a member of the government. Underneath the photograph there is a caption that says "Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone - A pink apron, a pan of spaghetti." Suggesting that Capone was your everyday typical Italian- American man, who liked to cook spaghetti. This couldn’t be less of the truth, Capone was a murderer and criminal, which to some extend makes the source biased towards Capone (he probably made sure it was published like that) and misleading and gives a false impression of him, therefore the source is not useful at all to the public as they have to be aware of how Capone really is and the crimes he has committed, like the St Valentines Massacre.
Source J is a quote from President Roosevelt, after announcing the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933. He states, "I think this will be a good time for a beer". This to me seems outrageous that he was to make a comment like that, even though he didn’t pass prohibition, as he is meant to be for prohibition and to convince people to stay away from alcohol; instead he wants to go and get a beer which obviously shows us that Roosevelt did not respect the Prohibition law and in fact must have been drinking throughout the prohibition period. Then begs the question how he obtained the alcohol in the first place, gangsters, which the supports source I. He did nevertheless repeal the act a year after he came into power. This source is somewhat useful to understand public attitude as it shows that even the highest government figures could have been corrupt, and so if the government can’t resist a drink then what chance does the public have.
To conclude, I personally don’t think that these sources are very useful as they are not firsthand accounts from member of public at the time of the prohibition and therefore cannot be as reliable. Journalist and newspaper articles are known for portraying their view points and being extremely biased and therefore cannot be seen as reliable or useful, as the majority of the time they only give one side of the story. As a whole I believe these sources shown no historical balance because of the date of which they were written on and the person who wrote them.
5. Study all the Sources and use your own knowledge. 'Al Capone was
viewed by the authorities in the USA as Public Enemy Number One' do the sources, and you knowledge of US society in the 1920s and 1930s, support this view? Explain your answer using the sources and your knowledge.
Al Capone was regarded as "Public Enemy Number 1". He moved to Chicago in 1920 where he worked for Johnny Torrio, the city's leading gangster. Capone was given the task of intimidating Torrio's rivals within the city so that they would give up and hand over to Torrio their territory. His tasks also included to convince speakeasy operators to buy illegal alcohol from Torrio, which would make their ‘business’ blossom. Torrio handed over the business to Capone in 1925 when he was almost killed by a rival gang. Within 2 years, Capone was earning $60 million a year from alcohol sales alone. Other rackets earned him an extra $45 million a year. Capone was seen as merely good businessmen supplying the demands of the public and managed to bribe both the police and the important politicians of Chicago, meaning that there was nothing in his way. Violence was a daily occurrence in Chicago, with a number of gangster fight and rivalry. In 1931, Capone was finally captured and he was only charged with tax evasion. He got 11 years in jail.
Capone was regarded as public enemy number one because he controlled the government and he made people break the law and learn that there were no real consequences in doing that, he was seen as icon rather than a cold-blooded murderer.
According to source G Capone placed his “own mayor in office” and therefore has complete control of the town and the business within the town, Capone paid $250 000 for Bill Thomson mayoral campaign, Thomson pledged to be “wetter than the Atlantic” and “We'll not only reopen places these people have closed, but we'll open 10,000 new ones (speakeasies)”. The fact the there are corrupt politicians means that the decisions made about certain issues won’t be on the best interest of the public but instead on the best interest of the gangsters such as Al Capone, this is supported by source G as it states that he run the “management of politics and politicians”. This makes sure that Capone runs everything how he wants’ and completely removing the democratic system, he has total control of the politicians, as if they were his puppets. This idea of corruption is also supported by source D.
Having the needed power, assured him that his bootlegging business runs smoothly with no authority figures in the way to stop him, as it also states that by the middle of the decade he had “complete control” (source G) of the running of the town. He mainly gained control of Chicago though fear, the St Valentine’s Day Massacre saw Capone murder seven members of his rival group whilst they were lying on the beach; this showed the evil side behind Capone, a side that was covered up by the media. He used the same techniques of fear and intimidation to control Cicero; he used to put gunmen on rooftops near voting station to make sure the public voted in favour of Capone. After the massacre Pauline Samen led the Women’s Organisation for the National Prohibition Reform. This showed the public were starting to see Capone for how he really was, they viewed Al Capone as a threat to public security making him public enemy number one.
Source F shows how he makes the general public willing to break the law by making alcohol so easily available and making people want to try alcohol even though it was prohibited by the government. Wilder states that he “started drinking in speaks”, I’m sure there were many like him that wanted to experience the thrill of taking something that was illegal as well as easily available, in some places it went as extreme as going down the street to your nearest speakeasy. So public threat? Of course, people are not deterred by the consequence of their actions, they want a drink and Capone gave then one, this makes the government inferior to Capone as they have no control over him.
Source D implies that the state runs on corruption and that the people who are employed to stop alcohol being imported, were in fact allowing it because they were being bribed by gangster such as Capone. There weren’t enough prohibition agents to cover the areas in the first place but the ones that were assigned the role were attracted by the money offered to them to turn a blind eye on whatever was going on. There were also tax rises for industrialists to pay for policing of prohibition. Agents’ wages were ‘munificently raised’ (Source D) to try and avoid corruption but it failed. Capone had the people he needed on his side allowing his business skills to improve and as profits from alcohol increased, the young Capone became particularly expert in the management of politicians. Sources G support this claim. Source D also mentions how government almost doubled the number of agents in a decade suggesting that they saw Capone as a problem and wanted their control of the city back.
Source E shows that drinking offences were increasing and that there was nothing being done to stop people from drinking. Capone’s control of alcohol and prostitution rackets resulted in 367 murders and 115 bombs in Chicago. Only 1 person was convicted because Capone bribed and corrupted police and officials and intimidated juries which undermined the American justice system. These criminal activities threatened the public because the police and the justice system were now being controlled by Chicago’s biggest gangster; the authorities were becoming frightened of never being able to reclaim that power back.
Source C shows the strain it was causing the government and the fact that the government could solve the problem due to its size. Capone evaded paying taxes on his wealth of $40 million whilst Prohibition became a burden costing the government $24 billion. This was paid for by the public and especially industrialists like Pier DuPont which threatened the prosperity of businesses. Not only was he getting the public to spend their wages on saloons/ speakeasies but also having to pay for the governments faults leaving families suffering to pay for food and shelter, this is also supported by source A, which describes men who drink in the saloons/speakeasies as “slaves of the saloon” and “poor man’s club” as people are wasting all their money on obtaining drinks, drink (Capone) are superior to man, they become addicted and have to have a drink it becomes increasingly difficult to stop.
Capone had control of the media and decided upon the information people were allowed to have about what was going on in the city. This of course went against freedom of speech. Robert St John, a reporter for the Cicero Tribune, was attacked because he wrote articles against Capone; this resulted in Capone later buying the paper. The idea controlled information can be supported by source I, as Capone is portrayed as this everyday Italian man who loves to cook spaghetti and not a murdering criminal.
Source I can also be said to reject the claim that he is public enemy number one because of the way he is projected to the public. The Times article show him in a positive light (even though it’s not very reliable as newspapers can be very biased). Capone was seen a popular hero supplying the public with what they wanted. He was seen as the American Dream fulfilled, the source shows him as a successful individual that had everything that an average person could only dream of.
In general the public saw Capone as a good thing to happen to their city as the prohibition was such an unpopular law. People were willing to do business with him (mainly because of fear) because he also supplied them with what they wanted, people were willing to break the law, supported by source H, it can be said that he was seen as a modern day ‘Robin Hood’ who provided alcohol for those people who did not have any. It was simple, the public wanted alcohol and Capone supplied them with it. He saw himself as a simple businessmen and not a gangster. In Source H Capone mentions that he is a “businessman” supplying “popular demand”, which some extend supports this.
Capone also helped the people in other ways. For example after the Wall St Crash many people were poor and hungry. In Chicago Capone opened Soup Kitchens so that the hungry could eat during the depression, which otherwise would have starved. He also gave clothes and food to the poor, created opportunities for black people in music as he had links all over. Capone reached somewhat a celebrity status. In Chicago he was rich and powerful, living the American dream. He had bodyguards and was known by everyone, even the president wanted a beer, source J, so imagine the rest of the public.
Also Capone wasn’t seen as public enemy number one as everyone has a freedom to own a business (the nature of the business is not taken into account here), and Capone was merely exercising that right to run a private business. He also employed hundreds of people to help run his monopoly. “He had gained complete control of the suburb of Cicero” as stated in Source G.
Personally I don’t believe Al Capone was seen as public enemy number one by the government, but I think he should have been seen as that, because he was dangerous. He was a cold blooded criminal that wanted money and power, and did everything he could to get it. He bribed the authorities and other businessmen, and kill anyone that got in the way of him, getting what he wanted. The government panicked when Capone had all that power and had to create something that would allow them to start getting that power back; by labelling him public enemy number one is a good starting point as they turned the public against him. Even though Capone helped people, I think he became too greedy for his own good, I think he wanted to play the role of god, where he could control everything and at one point in the prohibition period I think he achieved that to some extent.
