The purple gang was one of the most feared, most dangerous, notorious and organized crime gangs in the United States in the early 1900s. The gang was involved in all kinds of crimes and burglary. During this period an amendment had been passed which prohibited the manufacture of alcohol and other beverages for consumption. This action forced gangs to be more organized and discrete in their operations. The purple gang, in particular, rose as a result of the prohibition. It illegally brought in liquor from Canada and sold it in Detroit in discrete ways. The gang was highly organized, having trained manufacturers, transporters and even lawyers. The gang grew, with its leaders becoming richer until suspicions and other factors brought its downfall. The crimes committed by the gang, the public killings and the general operations of the gang actively influenced the repeal of the 18th amendment. The gang became a nightmare for both the public and the government, robbing, kidnapping and getting away with murder. This research paper will describe the purple gang of the early 1900s and its influence on prohibition and the overall social harmony of the people.
The Purple Gang
There are many different stories which try to come up the origin and the formation of the gang. Some stories say that the name itself came from the fact that a member of the gang was originally a boxer who wore purple pants. There other insane stories which try to explain the origin of the name of the gang. Before the formation of the gang, there existed other small, numerous gangs all over the United States. The purple gang itself was formed by gangsters and thugs from different gangs all over the states and other from different countries and regions. The gang consisted of Jews and Italians and other people of other ethnic groups and origins.
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As the gang grew, actively gaining control of the society and cities such as Detroit, they also invented new roles for themselves. For instance, they were hired in the 1920s by some trade unions as hit men. Their job was to provide protection to these trade unions, keep the union members in line and also to harass or punish non-union independents. This involved the killing of members of other trade unions, and the independent guys. The gang grew and controlled more territory, and other gangs stayed away from their territories and operations. In the early 1930s, inter-gang conflicts began with various wealthy families attacking each other. With too many people in the business and the gang, trust failed, and every smaller group in the gang suspected another. Machine guns were used in the inter-gang wars. The public lived in fear as most of these wars took place in the open. One of the memorable massacres in which the gang took part is the St Valentine's Day of 1929.
The gang was involved in numerous evil acts that the government had to do something. The public too lived in fear instilled by the merciless and rough gang members. The gang participated in many killings, one of which involved the murder of a policeman. More public killings including the killing of innocent citizens were connected to the gang.
The Prohibition
The Prohibition came through in the early 1920s. This was the 18th amendment which saw to it that no more alcohol and beverage drinks would be sold for consumption in the United States. It restricted and prohibited the manufacture, transportation of alcohol and other beverage drinks in the United States. The prohibition only created ways for sophisticated and a more complex system of burglary and crime. More powerful and organized gangs came up, gangs which could evade all the strategies put by the government in the prohibition of alcohol. Through prohibition, several other small gangs and illegal manufacturers of alcohol were incarcerated by the government.
Before, prohibition, other gangs controlled alcohol trade, hijacked alcohol traders and caused various crimes. Illegal manufacture of alcohol also existed. Such are the occurrences which made the government come up with prohibition. The government aimed to close down the illegal trade of alcohol and also stop the numerous crimes involving alcohol manufacture, transportation and sale. The amendment, though, created new, more complex gangs which had what it takes to run illegal business in such society. Gangs, such as the purple gang, rose during the era of prohibition and had great systems of organization. The government saw the mess that the prohibition had created in the society in general. It stopped the local manufacture of alcohol and crimes related to it but with this initiative, more organized crimes featured in the US. Furthermore, the gang stilled smuggled alcohol into the country from the neighboring nations.
The inconvenience caused by the prohibition was evident and the government had to do something about it. The gangs had grown in almost every city in the United States controlling the activities in the cities. The gangs were even suspected in the killings of very prominent people. Police officers and radio presenter were killed by the gangs. All the killings and operations of the gangs would have not occurred if the amendment was never put in place. A repeal of the amendment came through, later in the early 1930s, which did away with the law and alcohol was once again legalized.
The Activities of the Gang
The major activity of gang involved the smuggling of alcohol into the United States, particularly in Detroit from Canada. There was absolutely nothing legal or impressive in the way the gang obtained its liquor and sold it. They took the liquor from people who had the load in Canada after which they killed these people living almost no one alive. In Detroit the load obtained from Canada would then be ‘cut’ before being sold. One bottle of alcohol would make about three bottles of alcohol which were then sold to the people. The members of the purple gang owned and run several ‘cutting’ plants in Detroit. The demand of alcohol by the public ensured that products were sold at a faster rate. The large amounts of money made from the sales catered for the operations of the gang and was enough to buy protection through bribery. The gang also employed lawyers and other important personnel who helped for the smooth running of their activities.
The gang expanded itself and found other ways to make more money for its many members. At some point members of the gang hired as hit men by different parties, individuals and trade unions. They would offer protection to these groups at any cost. Such jobs involved numerous innocent killings by the members of the gang. The public lived in fear around these times as the gang could strike at any time. The gang became notorious for defrauding insurance companies by staging fake or false accidents. It was involved in a lot of kidnappings including the kidnapping of various prominent people. The gang controlled most of the illegal activities in the major cities especially in Detroit. They controlled the betting and other forms of gambling. They trade in illegal and drugs which were sold at very high fees.
The Influence of the Purple Gang on Prohibition
As described above, prohibition made it difficult for illegal business traders and criminal gangs to operate in the U.S. Numerous small gangs and criminals were incarcerated during the prohibition period for dealing in alcohol or involvement in crimes associated with alcohol. Prohibition declared alcohol illegal, and no one was supposed to manufacture, transport or sell alcohol for consumption reasons. Those who tried to continue with business were soon found and sent to jail. The public too showed a great demand and agency for alcohol. A little quantity of alcohol would cost a lot of money. The purple took this advantage and designed a strategy to deliver alcohol to the people at higher prices.
The actions of the purple gang, in particular, later influenced prohibition and led to its fall. Prohibition was later lifted in the early 1930s and alcohol was once again legalized. This followed the fall of the purple gang due to its internal conflicts and wars. The activities of the gang made the government realize the effects of the policy, and soon the amendment was repealed.
There had occurred numerous killings by the gangs. The purple gang, alone, was involved in many of the killings, some of which took place in other countries outside the United States. The purple gang kidnapped the common people, prominent people in the government as well as other gangsters from other gangs. The purple gang, in particular, was quite difficult to deal with. With its strong organization, it evaded most of the government charges and suspicions. The gang proceeded by killing police officers and radio presenters. The gang was involved in the major massacres such as the St Valentine’s Day. Many innocent people died in such massacres. The government had to do something about the gang. A strategy had to be put in place to rectify the situation.
The alcohol which had been banned was still mad available thanks to the purple gang. The efforts to prohibit alcohol production, sale and transportation for consumption did not bear fruits. Even some of the government officials were involved in the operations of the gang in one way or another. The alcohol, beverages and other drugs sold by the gang were also bought and used by some government official. Soon the government so need to revoke the bill which had restricted alcohol sale for consumption. It had only created more merciless and complicated thugs and gangsters who made the public' existence a hell. The killings terrorized the public as well as the government. Alcohol itself was still available and could not entirely be prohibited even by law.
The activities and operations of the purple gang directly affected prohibition and influenced its repeal. People demanded Prohibition to be stopped. The gang was in support of this action as they brought to the people what the people required. The gang had also employed many civilians in their many plants and in other sectors. The gang participated in the uproar against prohibition and made plans to manufacture and sell more alcohol to the people.
Influence of the Purple Gang on Social Harmony
The activities of the gang made every individual especially in Detroit live in great fear. Nobody knew when the gang would strike. It was difficult to run a business smoothly in a city such Detroit which was controlled by gangsters. The gang commanded very high payments from business owners and trade unions. For some groups or individuals, the gang offered protection while they demanded free money from some groups or individuals. They broke into stores and homes and robbed valuable things. The public lived in absolute fear and felt unprotected.
Some parents got worried that their kids would join the gang. The gang was recruiting many young stars, and most youths showed enthusiasm in the activities of the purple gang. Young children were also kidnappers by the gang after which they asked for ransoms. The gang made the lives of the people a living hell.
Public killings struck the people with absolute fear. In Detroit, harmony no longer existed. Wars began among members of the gang and put the city in a state of disharmony. Various smaller groups within the gang confronted each other in open fires and wars which involved the use of machine guns. The actions, activities and operations of the purple gang influenced the social life of the people in Detroit, and some features of this phenomenon are still witnessed today.
The Purple Gang is described as one of the most notorious, most organized and complex gangs which existed back in the early 20th century. The gang had experienced personnel who handled various operations on behalf of the gang. The gang employed lawyers, brewers and captains among other personnel in order to run their operations. The gang majorly smuggled illegal alcohol from Canada which it sold locally during a time when alcohol was prohibited in the whole of the U.S. The gang also participated in other evil acts and crimes such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, and robbery. During this time the government had passed the prohibition law which restricted the transportation, sale and manufacture of alcohol and other beverages for consumption in the United States. The gang influenced prohibition and its removal through their activities. The gang also influenced social harmony as through their evil and terrorist activities.
Bibliography
Gitlin, Martin. The Prohibition Era . ABDO, 2010.
Abeyasinghe, Ranil. "Towards an evidence-based alcohol policy." Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry 2.1 (2011).
Tyrell, Paul-Matthias. "Utilizing a Border as a Local Economic Resource: The Example of the Prohibition-Era Detroit-Windsor Borderland (1920–33)." Comparative American Studies An International Journal 13.1-2 (2015): 16-30.
Fleury, John. Bloody Valentine: The Bloody History of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre . Absolute Crime, 2013.
Mappen, Marc. Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation . Rutgers University Press, 2013.
Tyrell, Paul-Matthias. "Utilizing a Border as a Local Economic Resource: The Example of the Prohibition-Era Detroit-Windsor Borderland (1920–33)." Comparative American Studies An International Journal 13.1-2 (2015): 16-30.
Mappen, Marc. Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation . Rutgers University Press, 2013.
Gitlin, Martin. The Prohibition Era . ABDO, 2010.
Tyrell, Paul-Matthias. "Utilizing a Border as a Local Economic Resource: The Example of the Prohibition-Era Detroit-Windsor Borderland (1920–33)." Comparative American Studies An International Journal 13.1-2 (2015): 16-30.
Fleury, John. Bloody Valentine: The Bloody History of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre . Absolute Crime, 2013.
Abeyasinghe, Ranil. "Towards an evidence-based alcohol policy." Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry 2.1 (2011).
