Organized Crime
The 1920s saw massive and dramatic changes in American economy, culture and politics. The 1920s is characterized by dance, jazz, fashion revolution, new inventions and gambling. The “Roaring Twenties” were characterized by organized crime. Sacco, Vanzetti and Wall Street Bombing were the two most notable cases.
Nicola Sacco emigrated in 1908 to the United States when she was 17 years old. Bartolomeo Vanzetti, also an Italian born fishmonger, moved to the United States in 1908 aged twenty. Both men had been radicals and Anarchists. Both men were known Anarchists and radicals.
Two men, armed with pistols, shot Pormenter and Berardelli at the Slater and Morrill Shoe Factory on April 15, 1920. The criminals fled the scene of the crime after the murder and stole two boxes with payroll worth $15,776. They then fled in a car that contained a few men. It was discovered abandoned ten days later. Sacco & Vanzetti were arrested on May 5th for murder & robbery. Their trial ended up as one of history’s most controversial – and contentious – trials.
Red Scare ruled the 1920s. Americans were scared and paranoid because of Russia’s second revolution which had turned democracy into communism. All people were suspecting one another, starting with shoemakers and moving on to movie stars. All political opinions that were considered to be unusual were viewed with great suspicion. Sacco Vanzetti was an Anarchist, so they were suspected by police, juries, judges, and ordinary people. The policemen assumed the Italians took the money for violent anarchists activities. And the judge readily agreed because only weeks before the court case he made a speech on the dangers of Bolshevism. He was in favor of suppressing radical, violent speech and the incitement to violence. Sacco, Vanzetti and their supporters were at a severe disadvantage before they even entered the courtroom because of what they believed.
During the trial, there were a total of 89 witnesses who testified on behalf of the defendants. There were many different testimonies, some claiming to see the two men on the crime scene while others said they saw them the next morning in Boston. Another witness claimed that he was there when the crime occurred. The court ruled that most of the evidence had been disproven. This was because the only proof of guilt came from Sacco’s possession a Colt handgun found when he was arrested, and both men reclaiming the car linked to the crime. Sacco was found guilty by Judge Webster Thayer and Vanzetti was sentenced to death. The case was then given a new twist and spread worldwide in 1925.
Sacco, Vanzetti and their executioners were executed by electric chair in August 1927. There were many revolts in the United States before and after Sacco and Vanzetti’s arrest. Some of the uproars that took place in America led to massive deaths. For example, the Bombings on Wall Street which occurred on September 16th, 1920.
Details of the case are unknown, and all accusations rest on unsubstantiated assumptions. It is still clear that the old horse drawn cart with 100 lb. dynamite in it was placed near the J. P. Morgan Bank, at the most active corner of New York’s financial district. The wagon exploded instantly killing 38 people and injuring 200 others, many of whom were young workers as clerks, brokers, clerks, and stenographers. In the hospital, 10 more victims were killed. The Morgan Building itself was almost completely destroyed. The explosion caused property damage of around $2,000,000, which is equal to $23,000,000 when adjusted for inflation. The wagon’s driver was not present when the bomb exploded.
Mario Buda has been identified as the executor, even though the driver of this wagon has never been found. As Sacco, Vanzetti and other active Italian Galleanists and anarchists, Buda was also an active anarchist. He also owned the car in question. Buda, who was a master of explosives, was thought to be the one responsible for the vast majority of the bombs that were used by the anarchists. The Galleanist had been in New York City when the explosion occurred. Buda, who was not detained or interrogated, left New York City in November 1920 and never returned. Despite the fact that police spent over three years investigating this crime, they did not make any new progress. Most likely, the bombing was a revenge attack for Luigi Galleani’s deportation and for arresting fellow anarchists.
In the Roaring Twentyies, social change was driven by an unstable economy and government. The Roaring Twenties saw a rise in organized crime. This is a term that describes any group of people strategically working together to commit fraud or extortion or to engage in other illegal activities. The government was corrupt and there were no laws to enforce. This made it difficult to prosecute the criminals. Individual criminals and gangsters were able to escape prosecution for their crimes because they had strong connections in America. Prohibition influenced people’s behaviors, resulting in all sorts of crimes.
