Mafia/Gangsters

In the 1920’s the mafia and its gangsters were known by their fashion, fame, money, and girls. Unlike today the gangster is known for their trashy sense of fashion, their disrespect for women, and lack of funds, doing whatever they need to do to make life a little bit more comfortable. In 1920 a gangster in the streets could be recognized by their tailored suits and expensive accessories. Gangsters in the 1920’s were so respected that they became America’s icons of a self-made-man. The most famous gangsters of the 1920’s were Capone, Luciano, Moran, and Schultz. Every gangster had a classy nickname that they would use when people referred to them. One of the most famous nicknames was “Scarface” which was Capone’s. Many regular day people became gangsters or joined mafia’s in order to achieve the American dream everyone always fantasizes about. When prohibition went into effect in 1919, many of the gangsters went from beating people and robbing them to being in an organized mob integrating themselves throughout popular cities such as Chicago and Detroit (also cities mentioned in The Great Gatsby by Jay Gatsby). Many of the mafia leaders made millions off of bootlegging and supplying alcohol to speakeasies. For the mafia’s bootlegging became one of the successful businesses in the prohibition era. When prohibition ended, many mafias turned to prostitution. The mafia began to see heroin being the next lucrative substance to smuggle and sell in the United States. With heroin growing popular, many of the mafias turned their hookers into heroin addicts. They would instill in their head that the only way to make money for the heroin was to sell there body on the street and give their pimp all the money, knowing that he would take care of the addiction.

SOURCES:
http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-gangsters.html
http://www.drugtext.org/library/books/McCoy/book/07.htm

New money: is money worked hard for. Most people that make new money are hard devoted workers who know the value of a dollar. People who earn new money come from a family who always had to work for what they wanted in life. Nothing was ever given to them. In the great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby came from a poor family. He met a man named Dan Cody who showed him the importance of working hard. Unfortunately Dan Cody dies and Gatsby is left on his own. Gatsby joins the army and attends a upper class college, oxford, in England while in the service. Gatsby learned to be a business man and with his great people skills he becomes a bootlegger in the United States. He becomes very successful in this and makes a lot of money.

Old money: is money inherited from a family member. People that inherit old money usually never had to work to hard for anything. Everything was just handed to them on a silver platter. Usually the rich marry the rich so they can keep their wealth and not have to worry about working or doing anything for themselves. They are very greedy and selfish. They don’t care for anyone’s well doing except for themselves. They live in the world where money buys them happiness. In The Great Gatsby daisy and tom inherited old money and never worried about a thing. Gatsby describes daisy voice as “full of money” (Fitzgerald 120). This meaning that daisy’s attitude was somewhat stuck up in a way she had no care in the world for the price of any materialistic item.

SOURCES:

Fitzgerald Scott F. "The Great Gatsby" New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1925 chapter 7

Daft Charleston -- Perfectly Synced

1920's

The Great Gatsby takes place throughout the 1920’s. Many of the characters in the book express how the upcoming generation viewed things and how they handled different situations, such as getting around prohibition. The nickname “roaring twenties” became popular because after World War I, the United States Economy sky rocketed from consumers looking to spend their money. One of the greatest inventions, still used to this day, was the radio. In the 1920’s Televisions were none existing and the Radio was the must have. The radio played comedies, jazz music, live events, and even had news. During the 1920’s penicillin and the insulin for diabetes were discovered, which led to even greater scientific breakthroughs in the future. Movies with sound also became very popular with America. Many Americans were use to movies with no sound, but during the 1920’s movie sound was invented along with 3-D motion pictures. Many of the younger Americans became rebellious against old taboos. They expressed their independency through many different ways such as dancing and the style they dressed. The Charleston became one of the most popular dances at dance clubs and local parties. Other dances like the fox trot and shimmy were preformed by the younger Americans. Women, who cut their hair short and curly, wore short dresses and smoked cigarettes, became known as flappers. The United States also passed the 18th amendment allowing women to have equal voting rights as men. The 1920’s was a profound century until 1929 the stock market crashed and the United States fell into the Great Depression

Sources:

http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1920.htm

Jealousy

Jealousy is an emotional feeling of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy works together with some emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. Jealousy is most common when a female likes a male but cannot have the male because the male likes or is with another girl. Another way could be maybe your girlfriend noticed you checking out another girl. She would become upset at you because she is angry that you are not checking her out. In the great Gatsby myrtle becomes jealous of daisy at a party in New York and screams daisy name until tom shuts her up. Jealousy can also be when you wish you had somebody else’s body. If you were fat, and you saw a guy with a 6 pack you would be jealous because you wish you looked like him. Girls always get jealous of other girls because the other girl gets a man that they want. Jealousy is mostly caused by emotions. The more you let your emotions show the more jealous you may get.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jealousy

Prohibition

Prohibition was started in the United States with hope that it would lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, and improve health and hygiene in America. Instead it backfired on the government causing crime rates to sky rocket, over populating prisons. It began on January 16th 1920 when the 18th amendment went into effect. Even though alcohol was banned, many people still consumed it in “speakeasies” or other underground private bars. Since alcohol could not be legally brought into America many people smuggled it in from Canada. The people who smuggled the alcohol to the United States became known as bootleggers. Even though it was illegal, doctors could prescribe alcohol to patients making it legal. Just like how in today’s world people can legally smoke marijuana if they have a medical prescription from a doctor. Over a million gallons of alcohol was consumed legally through freely given prescriptions. Even the national government had their own bootlegged liquor in their possession. Buying the alcohol illegally would mean buying it from the gangsters who ran the bootlegging business, putting money in the gangster’s pockets, instead of back into the economy. When Franklin D Roosevelt ran for president in 1932 he promised to abolish the 18th amendment with the 21st amendment. Making the consumption of alcohol legal again.

Sources:
http://www.1920-30.com/prohibition/

Flappers

The ideal flapper was “lovely, expensive, and about nineteen.” Flappers were young ladies in the 1920’s who were rebellious with the way they dressed and the way they acted. Flappers seemed to cling to youth as if it were to leave them at any moment. The flappers would marry at a later age. They would also smoke and consume alcohol in public places. Most commonly in speakeasies, because during the 1920’s prohibition was illegal. Flappers became known for their careless lifestyles. Instead of wearing long dresses the flappers would wear short shapeless knee high dresses, making it easier for the women to dance to the new aged music jazz. They wanted to be more independent and have similar rights as the men, so they would dress more man-like. The flappers took risks and with that soon became able to vote with the men. Flappers kept their hair short and curly, known as the “bob”. With a hair style like that the girls would wear a bell shaped hat called the “cloche.” Women got the name flappers because when they would walk with galoshes on, they would keep them unbuckled causing them to make a flapping noise.

Sources:
Jackie Hatton, "Flappers," St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 2000.