The murders that occurred on February 14, 1929 are now a symbol of the power and corruption that came out of the time known as Prohibition. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is tied to Al Capone, likely the most famous crime boss and gangster of all time. Seven men were gunned down by a combination of weapons including the famous Tommy gun by men wearing police uniforms. This event happened because of the underworld fueled by Prohibition; speakeasies and brothels and brew houses became money-makers for these organized groups which attracted young men wanting to make both money and names for themselves.
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Al Capone
"Bugs" Moran
Prohibition
Journal Articles
Bousquet, Stephen C. “The Gangster in Our Midst: Al Capone in South Florida, 1930-1947.” The Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Winter, 1998): 297-309.
Haller, Mark H. "Historical Roots of Police Behavior: Chicago, 1890-1925." Law and Society Review, Vol. 10, No. 2, Essays in Honor of J. Willard Hurst: Part Two (Winter, 1976): 303-323.
Haller, Mark H. "Organized Crime in Urban Society: Chicago in the Twentieth Century." Journal of Social History, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter, 1971-1972): 210-234.
Lindesmith, Alfred R. “Organized Crime.” Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 217, Crime in the United States (Sep., 1941): 119-127.
Mennell, S.J. "Prohibition: A Sociological View." Journal of American Studies, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Dec., 1969): 159-175.
Merriam, Charles E. "The Police, Crime and Politics." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 146, The Police and the Crime Problem (Nov., 1929): 115-120.
Munger, Michael and Thomas Schaller. “The Prohibition-Repeal Amendments: A Natural Experiment in Interest Group Influence.” Public Choice, Vol. 90, No. ¼, Constitutional
Political Economy (Mar., 1997): 139-163.
Peterson, Virgil W. “Chicago: Shades of Capone.” Annals of the American Academy of Poltical And Social Science, Vol. 347, Combating Organized Crime (May, 1963): 30-39.
Richman, Daniel C. and William J. Stuntz. “Al Capone’s Revenge: An Essay on the Political Economy of Pretextual Prosecution.” Colombia Law Review, Vol. 105, No. 2 (Mar.,
2005): 583-640.
Sellin, Thorsten. “Crime.” The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 47, No. 6 (May, 1942): 898-906.
Sullivan, Edward Dean. “I Know You, Al.” The North American Review, Vol. 228, No. 3 (Sep., 1929): 257-264.
Websites
“Al Capone.” Chicago Historical Society. http://www.chicagohs.org/history/capone.html
(accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
“Prohibition.” Digital History, The Jazz Age: The American 1920s. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=441 (accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
“St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Federal Bureau of Investigation. http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/massacre.htm (accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
Newspapers
“Chicago Gunmen Pose as Officers, Kill Seven: Line Victims Against Wall, Mowed Down.” Dallas Morning News, February 15, 1929, Section 1, Vol. XLIV, No. 138.
Magazines
Gage, Nicholas. “The Mafia at War.” New York Magazine, July 10, 1972.
Books
Franklin, Fabian. What Prohibition Has Done to America. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922.
Organized Crime
Organized crime has been strong in this country for well over a hundred years. “An individualistic predatory philosophy of success, indifference to public affairs, general disregard for law, the profit motive, decentralized government, laissez faire economics, and political practice which is often as openly predatory as the rackets, have produced in our great cities a fertile breeding place for organized crime.”(Lindesmith, 120) Organized crime has always been linked to politics. "In some places and at certain times the organization against the government is stronger than the organization of the government itself, and in some ways the underworld is better prepared for protection than is the state for defence of persons and property in society."(Merriam, 115) Bribery was considered a daily affair. Both crime bosses and many politicians enter their chosen profession in the search of power and wealth, so a natural relationship has been built between them.
Al Capone
"Bugs" Moran
Prohibition
Journal Articles
Bousquet, Stephen C. “The Gangster in Our Midst: Al Capone in South Florida, 1930-1947.” The Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Winter, 1998): 297-309.
Haller, Mark H. "Historical Roots of Police Behavior: Chicago, 1890-1925." Law and Society Review, Vol. 10, No. 2, Essays in Honor of J. Willard Hurst: Part Two (Winter, 1976): 303-323.
Haller, Mark H. "Organized Crime in Urban Society: Chicago in the Twentieth Century." Journal of Social History, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter, 1971-1972): 210-234.
Lindesmith, Alfred R. “Organized Crime.” Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 217, Crime in the United States (Sep., 1941): 119-127.
Mennell, S.J. "Prohibition: A Sociological View." Journal of American Studies, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Dec., 1969): 159-175.
Merriam, Charles E. "The Police, Crime and Politics." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 146, The Police and the Crime Problem (Nov., 1929): 115-120.
Munger, Michael and Thomas Schaller. “The Prohibition-Repeal Amendments: A Natural Experiment in Interest Group Influence.” Public Choice, Vol. 90, No. ¼, Constitutional
Political Economy (Mar., 1997): 139-163.
Peterson, Virgil W. “Chicago: Shades of Capone.” Annals of the American Academy of Poltical And Social Science, Vol. 347, Combating Organized Crime (May, 1963): 30-39.
Richman, Daniel C. and William J. Stuntz. “Al Capone’s Revenge: An Essay on the Political Economy of Pretextual Prosecution.” Colombia Law Review, Vol. 105, No. 2 (Mar.,
2005): 583-640.
Sellin, Thorsten. “Crime.” The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 47, No. 6 (May, 1942): 898-906.
Sullivan, Edward Dean. “I Know You, Al.” The North American Review, Vol. 228, No. 3 (Sep., 1929): 257-264.
Websites
“Al Capone.” Chicago Historical Society. http://www.chicagohs.org/history/capone.html
(accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
“Prohibition.” Digital History, The Jazz Age: The American 1920s. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=441 (accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
“St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Federal Bureau of Investigation. http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/massacre.htm (accessed Nov. 20, 2009).
Newspapers
“Chicago Gunmen Pose as Officers, Kill Seven: Line Victims Against Wall, Mowed Down.” Dallas Morning News, February 15, 1929, Section 1, Vol. XLIV, No. 138.
Magazines
Gage, Nicholas. “The Mafia at War.” New York Magazine, July 10, 1972.
Books
Franklin, Fabian. What Prohibition Has Done to America. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922.