Research Project: Crime in 1880s-1920s!

Crime didn't develop in the United States until the 1900's. When Crime eventually did develop, the rates were much, much lower than today. While crime was a terrible act, it also aided in the development of our economy. With it’s rise, came the need for medical services, police and fire service, and etc. The main style's of crime seen throughout this period were bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and eventually murder. 

We usually associate gambling with the mafia (which was active in this time period as well). However, gambling was used everywhere: the horse track, sports, card games, etc. The mafia is just one of the many types of people groups that practice gambling. One of the most famous mob bosses was Alphonse “Al” Capone, who got his fame and fortune by “bootlegging”. Bootlegging was a practice that occurred in the Prohibition era in which the distribution of alcohol was banned. 



Botleggers making wine



Bootleggers were foreign immigrants that illegally brought liquor into the U.S. and sold it to Americans (these immigrants were usually Italians). He was one of the many bootlegging mafia leaders that became millionaires. 

 

Alphonse "Al" Capone

                                                              


                                                               

During the Prohibition period, district attorneys spent more than 50% of their time dealing with illegal alcohol use that went against the Prohibiton act. These violations were often seen in underground bars and in the mafia. After this era ended in December of 1931, crime soared and was much higher than it was before the period. 

Prohibition Protesters

                                                                                                 

Prostitution was one of the earliest forms of crime. This was seen even before the 1800’s. Prostitution is the main factor that gave Chicago is reputation of being a corrupted city. Back then, it was not seen as much of a crime as it is today but it was still very much looked down upon. 

Murder had happened before 1880 but not quite in the same context as it was in the early 1900‘s. Killing was more of an act of justice before, but with the advancement of cities and industry, came the corruption and need for power and superiority. 

The first serial killer was named Henry H. Holmes. He moved from New Hampshire to Chicago, IL in 1886 where he worked at a pharmacy and soon managed it since the previous owner disappeared without a trace. He had a three story house, later nicknamed “murder castle”, constructed with a maze of hallways with chutes and secret hallways all leading down to his basement where he tortured and killed his victims. He would clean their skeletons and sell them to local hospitals and medical centers to make a profit. . During the World Fair in Chicago, he would offer guests (usually wealthy middle-aged to elderly people) a room in his house and would lock them in their guest room where he would often turn a gas pipe on that would kill them. He later went on to killing many more visitors along with his wives, work associates, and their family.                                  



Henry H. Holmes



"murder castle"

                                                                                                                                                                                  
These are links and citations to my sources used in the making of this project:

     http://www.biography.com/people/h-h-holmes-307622

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=video&cd=2

http://www.vintageperiods.com/prohibition.php                          

  http://www.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/nkazmers/organizedcrime1.html                                   

Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Facts on File, 2001. Print.

                     

Immigration

To be a part of a nation of immigrants, means that our nation can coexist with other nationalities and races. We are not limited to just one like many other countries. This also shows how the U. S. is a free nation and allows citizens to have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, among others. The immigrants coming over to America allowed America to gain a reputation of being free. This caused more immigrants from all over to come and live with many other nationalities.
I do feel connected with my ancestors that lived in the 19th century. I know that my great great great grandfather came over from Germany and later changed his name. If he had not come over with his family when he did, i may not be here writing this.

Faces of America!

Faces of America is series that follows Henry Louis Gates Jr. as he shows twelve americans the map of their ancestry and how they came to be americans. These twelve people, such as Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, and Yo-Yo Ma, are shown their lineage using old documents and records that can pinpoint the time and place their relative became a U. S. citizen.

I think watching these shows and knowing all the different cultures that make up America is very important because this shows the amount of diversity found throughout the country. The United States is like a giant puzzle with each piece as a different color. These pieces fit together to create the perfect, and most beautiful puzzle kown as the United States of America.

Andrew Carnegie as a Philanthropist

After Andrew Carnegie retired in 1901 as one of the worlds richest men, he decided to give a lot of his money to charity's that helped with education. He went by the "Gospel of Wealth" that meant he had an obligation as a wealthy person to give to the less fortunate. He started the Carnegie Institution in 1902 that helped aid in scientific research and a teacher financial aid program. Throughout the rest of his life, he built over 2,000 public libraries and $125 million to the Carnegie Corporation that helped out colleges and schools. He also started the Carnegie Endowment for International peace and aided in the construction of the Hague Palace of Peace. By 1911, Carnegie had already donated and given away about 90% of his fortune he had earned.  This is the link you can find all this information on.