Alphonse Al Capone's Accomplishments

After taking effect in 1919, the eighteenth amendment which prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol, gave rise to the era of Prohibition. But the campaign for prohibition had begun well before the eighth amendment was passed, nearly a century prior in fact. Take for instance, the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance, which was established in 1826. The large majority of the temperance movement’s supporters were Protestant women. They believed abstinence from liquor to be a necessary social reform since the consumption of alcohol was viewed as the destruction of marriages and families. Worse yet, it was an affront on the purity of American women.
As the United States was swept up by the Progressive movement in first decade …show more content…
The city’s wretched suburbs were utterly devoid of opportunity, and served as Al Capone’s school for underground dealings with the time’s criminal denizens. After moving to moving to Chicago, he led a life characterized by intrepidness and rather shady business, from running brothels to smuggling contraband liquor. Here, where the strongest held dominion, he also received the cheek injury that would later earn him the namesake …show more content…
The murder of Dean Charles O’Banion, leader of the Northsiders, set off a series of wars, during which Al gradually eliminated his rivals. After the death of Jim Colosimo and Johnny Torrio’s retirement , he ruled the city’s crime syndicate. At twenty-six years old Al Capone had everything his younger self could have ever desired, be it women, liquor, jewels, or money.
The murder of Joe Howard is notable in that it showcases the dominion Capone held over the city. Joe was a rival who had picked on one of Al’s accountants. This was impermissible, and so he went out to the bar Joe was at, said hello, and raised a gun to the thug’s face. He fired several times in front of many witnesses both inside and outside of the bar, yet no one dared testify. Capone spoke to police and walked away without a scratch. He was untouchable, or seemed to be.
Despite the apparent lack of evidence uncovered by police over previous years, in 1931 Capone was arrested for tax evasion. He was incarcerated at an Atlanta prison before being transferred to Alcatraz in 1934. After having served eight years of an eleven-year sentence Capone was granted parole. The eight years spent in prison has led to a severe deterioration of his