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Alphonsus Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. Capone quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. He became part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and worked in gangster Frankie Yale's Harvard Inn as a bouncer and bartender. While in New York Capone murdered two men and hospitalized a rival gang member, however he was tried for his crimes. With a reputation for a willingness to kill, Yale sent Capone to Chicago to work as a bodyguard. # Capone arrived in Chicago in 1919 and started to work for head mobster John Torrio. # Soon he was helping Torrio manage his bootlegging business and increasing the territory of gang control. Capone eventually became Torrio's full partner in saloons, gambling houses, brothels, nightclubs, distilleries and breweries and earned a reported income of $ 30, 000, 000 a year from liquor alone#.
Capone expanded his control into the suburbs to the extend that some places became known as "Caponeville. "# When Torrio was shot by rival gang members and consequently decided to leave Chicago and the "outfit", he reportedly told Capone, "It's all yours, Al. " # Prohibition did not create organized crime#. However, it did create a new opportunity for lawbreakers and for the spread of criminal activity. It allowed Capone to expand his force and gain incredible power over the city of Chicago. Prohibition provided the connection between crime, politics, courts and police. Capone used his influence over municipal officials to control political affairs in Chicago, which increased his control.
Using his authority, Capone was able to spread corruption throughout the system. He terrorized voters, invaded polling places and seized ballot boxes, he was able to handpick the candidates into city offices and became the undisputed ruler of Chicago. Capone contributed freely to the campaign funds of his political friends, and he supplied men for election boards and delivered repeat voters. Officials in return, granted Capone almost complete immunity from the law (police force) which provided him with protection not only for liquor rackets, but for the spread of all other criminal activities. # Combining the power of his money and his reputation, Capone's gang moved into high places of government, into legitimate businesses, labour unions, employer's associations, industrial racketeering, the protection rackets, blackmail and extortion. Ensuring complete protection from the law, Capone also enhanced "older" forms for crime, such as vice, crooked gambling, robbery, larceny, kidnapping and killing for hire.
Capone established control of public services and private corporations, he bought his way into the manipulation of stocks and owned copious amounts of real estate throughout Chicago. # Naturally, the demand for liquor drastically increased during Prohibition and Al Capone seized this opportunity. Using gang-connected supply sources throughout the Midwest and establishing breweries, distilleries, stills and cookeries in Chicago, large quantities of alcohol were transported into the city. The liquor trade became increasingly profitable during Prohibition which resulted in a struggle for control of the liquor business. The competition between gangs caused an upsurge in violence which eventually escalated into war-like slayings. # The hostility that existed between gangs was tolerated by the people of Chicago, as it was considered part of prohibition's price for maintaining the liquor supply. Describing his participation in the liquor trade, Capone claimed that "I make my money by supplying a public demand. If I break the law, my customers, who number hundreds of the best in Chicago are as guilty as I am.
The only difference between us is that I sell and they buy. Everybody calls me a racketeer. I call myself a businessman. "# Capone maintained his place at the top and emerged from the gang-wars more powerful than before. Using this strategy Capone was able to expand his empire and increase his income to overwhelming amounts. As his power and influence grew, Capone exerted more intimidation and terror which in turn caused him to become more powerful. Almost any line of business that made a profit became a target for Capone.
Many business' paid a monthly tribute in the form of "protection money, " just to be allowed to stay in business and to avoid having their business' destroyed by Capone gangs. "He was the Mayor, Governor and Machine Boss all rolled into one. He gave the orders; the people's elected servants carried them out and kept their mouths shut. His authority was so great it could not be measured. " wrote author Paul San. Using intimidation, force, and terrorism, Capone controlled most of the city services. He was able to influence his "legitimate" business activities by getting paid "protection money" via extortion. # The image and reputation of Al Capone portrayed by newspapers emphasized the fear and power the he exuded. Many envied his power, money, and wickedness.
Intimidating nicknames such as "Scarface" and "the Big Fellow" were often used to describe Capone's character, which enhanced his image#. Through the media he gradually came to symbolize all the criminal evils of prohibition. His criminal activities were constantly recounted in the newspapers and public opinion of Capone soon became that of "Public Enemy Number One. "# At the peak of his power, Capone headed Chicago's list of the twenty-eight worst criminals#. The malicious reputation that surrounded Capone and his exploits helped to reinforce his image as the most powerful gangster in Chicago. "He (Capone) was... bigger than the city and bigger than the state, " commented author Paul San. # Popular belief in the 1920 s was that illegal gambling earnings were not taxable income. However, a bill passed in 1927 claimed that illegal profits were in fact taxable income. # Capone's domination over the Chicago began to collapse in 1931 when he was indicted for income tax evasion for the years 1925 - 1929 and for failing to file tax returns for the years 1928 and 1929.
The Department of Justice also charged him with conspiracy to violate Prohibition laws from 1922 - 1931. # Although Capone had his lawyers offer to settle his tax claims for four million dollars, the Treasury Department was not willing to make any deals. Found guilty on several accounts, Capone was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. After his release, Capone's health deteriorated rapidly and he was forced to withdraw from the outfit. In 1947, at the age of forty-eight Al Capone died of health complications. # Through his organized crime activities, Al Capone seized the opportunity that the Prohibition Act created in the 1920 s. By exploiting the demand for liquor created by Prohibition, his bootlegging activities helped to fund and expand his organized crime empire#. Al Capone has aroused the nation against prohibition's gangs and developed a deep as lasting revulsion among the people.
Brought to power by prohibition, Al Capone clearly demonstrated to America the evils of organized crime.
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Research essay sample on Rival Gang Organized Crime
