Master story teller Marc Mappen applies a generational perspective to the gangsters of the Prohibition era—men born in the quarter century span from 1880 to 1905—who came to power with the Eighteenth Amendment. On January 16, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution went into effect in the United States, “outlawing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” A group of young criminals from immigrant backgrounds in cities around the nation stepped forward to disobey the law of the land in order to provide alcohol to thirsty Americans. Today the names of these young men—Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz, Legs Diamond, Nucky Johnson—are more familiar than ever, thanks in part to such cable programs as Boardwalk Empire. Here, Mappen strips way the many myths and legends from television and movies to describe the lives these gangsters lived and the battles they fought. Placing their criminal activities within the context of the issues facing the nation, from the Great Depression, government crackdowns, and politics to sexual morality, immigration, and ethnicity, he also recounts what befell this villainous group as the decades unwound. Making use of FBI and other government files, trial transcripts, and the latest scholarship, the book provides a lively narrative of shootouts, car chases, courtroom clashes, wire tapping, and rub-outs in the roaring 1920s, the Depression of the 1930s, and beyond. Mappen asserts that Prohibition changed organized crime in America. Although their activities were mercenary and violent, and they often sought to kill one another, the Prohibition generation built partnerships, assigned territories, and negotiated treaties, however short lived. They were able to transform the loosely associated gangs of the pre-Prohibition era into sophisticated, complex syndicates. In doing so, they inspired an enduring icon—the gangster—in American popular culture and demonstrated the nation’s ideals of innovation and initiative. View a three minute video of Marc Mappen speaking about Prohibition Gangsters.
Based on FBI and other government files, trial transcripts, and the latest scholarship, this book provides a lively narrative of shootouts, car chases, courtroom clashes, wire tapping and rub-outs from the 1920s and beyond, acknowledging ...
Horace Mellard Duggan, Kid Dunnavant, William Duvall, Claude dynamite Eastman, Catherine Eastman, Charles Eighteenth ... Nate Exby, John Ex-Rounder Farley, James Farrell, William Faulkner, William fee-grabbing Fentress, Frank Fischer, ...
Many of the North Jersey Shore towns we know today began as quiet retreats for pious New Yorkers wishing to escape the vice and crime of the city.
Mayors Peter Jezewski and Rudolph Tenerowicz were sent to prison for violations but were rewarded by the public. Join author Greg Kowalski as he delves into Hamtramck's raucous prohibition history.
Prohibition gangsters
He killed more FBI Agents in the line of duty than any other person. Nelson was killed by FBI Agents. Therlee Gipson
During a gang war in New Orleans between rival groups from Sicily, New Orleans police chief David Hennessy was assassinated. Charles Matranga was tried and cleared of the crime in 1891, but he was determined to expand his operation ...
See also, John Boessnecker, When Law Was in the Holster: The Frontier Life of Bob Paul (University of Oklahoma Press, 2012), pages 380–83. Bill Broyles and Mark Haynes, Desert Duty: On the Line with the US Border Patrol (University of ...
I stumbled into my first job at a major liquor distributor in Texas after a three-year stint in the Army--and never looked back. This is the story of my research into the colorful gangsters and the illicit sides of the liquor business.
A lively, full history of Memphis during the Prohibition era