"Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" was the motto of the 1920 time period. Many Americans had the need for the illegal drink. This allowed for the rise of the Gang and the most notorious gangster, Al Capone. In the 1920's, Al Capone became the most well-known American Gangster; changing the way Americans view criminals and the way criminals conduct their business. Before you delve into the life of the real life Scarface, there must be knowledge of the time period. The 1920's was the period of peace between World War I and World War II. During the war congress passed for the 18th Amendment (better known as prohibition) (Hamm). Thus making the Selling, Making, and transporting of liquor Illegal. This was only the first step next would be the Volstead Act. The Volstead Act allowed for the enforcement of prohibition. However, corruption ran rampant causing these laws to be discarded by many individuals. Individuals who drove the illegal liquor from Canada to the United States in order to get liquor, were called bootleggers (Hamm). All of this alcohol that was gathered had to go somewhere. Much of these drinks went to the Windy City Chicago. This where Al Capone's story begins.
Before the multimillion dollar empire, Capone was just a kid living in New York City. Born on January 17, 1899 as Alphonse Caponei (Alphonse). At the age of 13, Al Capone was held back a year at school. The next year, Al Capone's teacher, the same teacher that held him back, taunted him about his size. Capone talked back and she hit him. So Capone hit her right back. Al Capone left that very same year from school (Yancy). The next year Capone had his baby boy Albert Francis Capone. 8 days after his baby was baptized he married his wife Mary Coughlin on December 30, 1914 (Yancy). Capone was 15 years old. By this time Al Capone became a member of various New York gangs. He also frequently visited brothels, where he met the prostitute that gave him Syphilis at the age of 19.
