The Italian Mafia

     As the number of Italian immigrants coming into America saw a sharp increase in the late 1800s, carrying onto the early 1900s, there were, of course, several in the groups who engaged in crime, specifically in New York where the Italian population increased by over 200,000. With the onset of the Prohibition era in the United States also came a sudden rise of the American Mafia, often referred to as the Italian Mafia, or simply, the Mafia, an Italian American organized criminal society prevalent in New York and Chicago specifically. With the banning of alcohol, the Mafia was able to successfully take part in the illegal buying and selling of it, often selling it for much higher prices. Soon, these criminal groups became organized, turning themselves into structured networks of crime, engaging in smuggling, money laundering, bribing, bootlegging. With the progression of the Prohibition, conflict broke out between the two largest gangs in New York City, with the victor being a man by the name of Salvatore Maranzano who claimed himself as boss of the Mafia. He was soon killed by a mobster with the name Lucky Luciano, who instead of labeling his single self as the boss, formed a center of power called the Commission (in New York), organizing the American Mafia. New York contained five main Mafia families while most others contained only one. With membership into the Mafia came many rules and rituals, the first being an initiation ceremony. All members had to be of Italian decent. It was common, yet not always seen, that men would have to engage in a murder before becoming a member, a position in which they could not get out of. They pledged to a code of silence, wherein they promised their loyalty to the organization and the members, not being allowed to give away any information on the whereabouts of both, even if their lives or safety were at hand. All the boss' commands were to be obeyed. They would commonly provide help to the other members if needed, and if attacking the family of any member, revenge was necessary with the approval of the boss. The Mafia followed a hierarchal structure, with the head or "boss" on the top, often called "Godfather", receiving a share of the money earned by those below him, who consisted of people in positions similar to that of a police force, with rankings based on comparison to that of the boss. Some names of common mobsters: George Clarence "Bugs" Moran, Alphonse Gabriel Capone (Al Capone), Tony Accardo, Dutch Shultz.

 Al Capone

George Clarence "Bugs" Moran

Tony Accardo

http://www.history.com/topics/mafia-in-the-united-states
https://lifeinthetwenties.wikispaces.com/Mafia+in+the+1920s
http://www.mafiamob.com/history.htm