Al Capone Essay -- Biography Biographies

Al Capone In 1920, the United States entered a new stage in its life, the Era of Prohibition. However, flaws in the planning, execution, and administration caused this noble idea to vacillate unquestionably. However, men who were willing to break the law were the ones that were able to build a lucrative life for themselves; one such man was Alphonse Capone. However, honest men such as Elliot Ness fought adamantly to defend their morals, beliefs, and the law of the land. Nevertheless, Capone was a man who took advantage of his time and lived the life of the American Dream: going from rags to riches. However, it was this very same opulence that caused his downfall and incarceration. The tireless efforts of Elliot Ness eventually paid off when On January 16, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified. This legislation gave legal satisfaction to the temperance movement of the early twentieth century. It officially mandated that the transportation, manufact ure, sale, and consumption of any beverage with an alcohol content of more than .05% was illegal. However, although the U.S. government took the initiative to enact the law, the enforcement of it was severely lacking for several reasons. First, responsibility was given to the Department of the Treasury, not the Department of Justice. This resulted in agents with little to no training in the skills required to execute their duties. Second, these agents received scant salaries that eventually lead to widespread corruption and bribery. In fact, from 1920 to 1926, 148 enforcement employees were convicted of bribery or other alcohol-related offenses. Although the original intent of the Eighteenth Amendment was to lower crime and increase public morale, it mainly served as a catalyst for crime and violence. In 1926, a Senate investigation discovered that most of the illegal liquor being consumed was coming from smugglers, illegal usage of industrial or medicinal alcohol, and moonshine liquor. They concluded that increasing border security could control the smuggling dilemma. The other problems could only be solved by a more competent approach to enforcement, including the restructuring of administration as well as the officers and agents, changes in hiring practices and training, and increased salaries for all agents. However, the main reason for the failure of th... ... and Records Administration 2000). Despite the noble efforts of the U.S. Congress to end the consumption of alcohol, Prohibition was definitely a failure. Both faulty schematization and general sense of public disapproval contributed to the defectiveness of the Eighteenth Amendment. However, from this blunder rose venal men such as the infamous Alphonse Capone. These men gained both notoriety and fear through the practices of corruption and murder. Nevertheless, the tireless efforts of the U.S. government lead by the honest Elliot Ness and his men lead to the eventual downfall of this great pillar of crime. Despite the failure of the Prohibition Era, the United States learn a valuable lesson: the American mind is stubborn and it takes a little more than laws to change it. Bibliography: Bardsley, Marilyn. Al Capone - from the Crime Library. 15 May 2000. http://www.crimelibrary.com/capone/caponemain.htm Wright, Jacob C. The Enforcement Of Prohibition. 15 May 2000. http://mx3.xoom.com/jakewright/prohibition/index.html National Archives and Records Administration. Exhibit: Al Capone Verdict. (15 May 2000). http://www.nara.gov/exhall/originals/capone.html