1. Konstantin Baumann
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11 Grade
10/05/2010
American History A
The Rising of the Mafia
- Research Paper-
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From the beginning of the 20 Century especially after WW1 the Italians in America
increased. During that time Lucky Luciano built up the American Mafia by using the
criminal elements Italian immigrants. Based on the already existing Sicilian Mafia in
Italy “La Cosa Nostra” (directly translated: The thing of our own), he started up the
National Crime Syndicate including the “five” families in New York. By getting
2. involved in Government activity, corruption in big companies, prostitution, drug
dealing, gambling and smuggling. The Mafia rose up to a huge underground network
controlling the City from behind the scenes. Many people in NY said: “There’s no
dollar in NY the Mafia hasn’t seen before”. During that time the Mafia expanded their
underground network more and more after many successful crimes and increasing
their money. That caused also a new number of Mobsters, Mafia members. Many
Immigrants didn’t want to live in those poor conditions and saw the fortune the mafia
gained, so they got involved in the Mafia over cousins and uncles already being
members. Especially during the prohibition time period the American Mafia increased
to such a huge organization involving bribed politics and police, company owners and
killers. During 1930 to the mafia was involved in almost every money making or
supporting business from New York to Chicago.
Some people say the Mafia was only able to rise up to such a huge crime
organization because of their brutal ways to get to their goals and the often failing
attempts of the government and police to catch and convict those Mafioso at that
time. On the other hand people say it wasn’t the fault of the police neither the Mafias
brutal ways. The only reason of the growth of the mafia is the familial loyalty of every
3. member the certain rules and behavior they believe in. such as never to betray the
organization.
In my opinion both statements are right and go hand in hand together. Also different
sources show that there are many ways why the American Mafia was able to
increase to a huge underground organization such as the loyalty and allegiance of
their members, authority of the bosses, brutal methods to solve problems and faith
and elaboration in every operation to reach their goals.
There are many reasons for the growth of the American Mafia. One of the most
important things to show is the Rules made by the old Sicilian mafia given from
generation to the next generation, the 10 commandments of the Cosa Nostra, the
rules they believed in. Found tattooed on dead members or in old documents found
by the FBI:
1. No-one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third
person to do it.
2. Never look at the wives of friends.
3. Never be seen with cops.
4. Don't go to pubs and clubs.
5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife's about to give
4. birth.
6. Appointments must absolutely be respected.
7. Wives must be treated with respect.
8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
10. People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the
police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and
doesn't hold to moral values.
(German Discovery Channel, Documentary; Title: Mafia in New York, published
2005)
Even though the American Mafia didn’t follow all of the rules above, we notice that
Point 3, 5, 6, 8 talk about the loyalty a member has to have to be a part of the
st nd th th
organization. The 1 , 2 , 7 and 9 are supporting the familial values, which ensure
that the members are being respectful, loyal, and allegiance to their boss.
Another reason for the growth of the Mafia was the effective but brutal ways to reach
their goals, also the allegiance of their members fighting for what they believed in.
Which often cost lives. One famous example is the “Saint Valentine’s day Massacre”:
(Feb. 14, 1929), mass murder of a group of unarmed bootlegging gang members in
Chicago. The bloody incident dramatized the intense rivalry for control of the illegal
liquor traffic during the Prohibition Era in the United States. Disguising themselves as
policemen, members of the Al Capone gang entered a garage at 2122 North Clark Street
run by members of the George “Bugs” Moran gang, lined their opponents up against a
5. wall, and shot them in cold blood. The victims included gang members Adam Heyer, Frank
Gusenberg, Pete Gusenberg, John May, Al Weinshank, and James Clark, as well as a
visitor, Dr. Reinhardt H. Schwimmer.
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and other gangland killings, frequently portrayed
vividly by the mass media throughout the world, came to symbolize the violence of the
Prohibition Era in Chicago.
(http://www.school.eb.com Britannica Historical Database, Article: Saint Valentine’s
Day Massacre, No Author or Date given)
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Another insight is the article about the Crime published February 15 1929 in the
New York Times:
(Published 2/15/1929, New York Times; Title: 7 CHICAGO GANGSTERS SLAIN BY
FIRING SQUAD OF RIVALS, SOME IN POLICE UNIFORM)
Both Sources talk about the Valentine’s Day Massacre. The Massacre shows us the
well-thought-out tactics the Mafia worked with. The police assumed Al Capone as the
6. head for that crime, but at the end they justice couldn’t convict anybody; no one of Al
Capone’s Mobsters got caught for that.
Those perfectly thought crimes were one of the basic points the mafia worked with.
By relying on the success of difficult, money bringing crimes the mafia become bigger
and bigger and more and more influential in the economics at that time. Also many,
new before not in Mafia involved family members, became a part of the organization,
attracted from the opportunity to make a lot of money.
All those point, necessary for the growth and success caused that the mafia had
huge effect on the American economy during the time of prohibition; we can see that
on the two snippets below:
The Census Bureau reports that in 1929 there were 4,627 deaths attributable to alcohol
poisoning, compared with 4,339 deaths in 1928, an increase of 6 percent.
The Presbyterian Board of Christian Education publishes a survey detailing teenagers’ use
of illegal liquor. Of 1,000 high school students polled, only 21.3 percent admitted
occasional drinking, and none reported frequent drinking.
(Author: Rodney P. Carlisle, Book: “Day By Day: The Thirties, 2-Volume Set”; pg.
7. 101, 33; Published 2006)
Those two snippets show us that a lot of alcohol consumption was present during the
time of prohibition. As we already know was the Mafia during the 1920’s and
beginning of the 30’s deeply involved in Alcohol smuggling and bootlegging. As we
can tell on the alcohol death rate from the first snippet and the percentage of
highschool student drinking during that time we’re able to see that there was a lot
illegal alcohol around which was mostly spread by the Mafia, especially the Gambino
Family.
As you can see on all the example above was the Growth of the Mafia only be able
because of the high loyalty of every member who never betrayed the organization,
not even when the got caught by the police; allegiance of every Mobster so that they
killed and followed the bosses; Their brutal method and ways to solve problem fast
and easy without leaving any attesters outside the own family, the believe in their
bosses and the tactics and thoughtful planned crimes and of course the greed for
luxury.
