The roaring twenties, such a time to be alive; the world has never seen such a unique decade. This decade brought much change to the United States. For example, the ban of alcohol brought the rise of gangsters. Such as Al Capone, Scarface, George, and Bugs. These were the biggest known gangsters of the roaring twenties. Yet no one has ever seen such a gangster like Al Capone. Along with that the rise of the Ku Klux Klan by a man named William Joseph Simmons. He started the attacks on not just African Americans but on Catholics, Jews, and any kind of foreigner. Lastly the rise of industries such as the music industry and the movie industry.
First things first, Al Capone and the gangsters. In this time period there were over 300 gangsters in Chicago alone. The biggest one known even to this day is Al Capone. One of the biggest things he is known for is the Valentine's Day Massacre. Where 7 men were shot to death by a group of Al Capone's men who were dressed like police officers. Even though Al Capone was a murderer he liked to put himself out there, portraying himself as a family man. He had his own food shelter and would give out money whenever he could. The one thing that made him stand out from all the other gangsters is that he tried to publicise himself while the others would try to hide. Was he foolish for that or a genius is what everyone is asking themselves nowadays.
The Ku Klux Klan, as we all know, started in 1865. But this group went underground until the 1920s rolled around. When they finally decided it was their time. They were not just going after the African Americans but also terrorized the Catholics, Jews, and the incoming foreigners. This group was led by a man named William Joseph Simmons who chose to revive the Klan in the fall of 1915 after seeing D.W. Griffith’s film Birth of a Nation. Which portrayed the Klansman as great heroes. This man made his living by selling memberships and saw the revival of the Klan as a new source of membership sales. On August 8, 1925 he led a group of 50,000 members on a parade through Washington D.C. The Klan was most popular in this decade and reached nationwide. They held festivities, pageants, and social gatherings. They encouraged native-born Americans that intimidation, harassment, and violence were perfectly fine as long as it was aimed toward the ‘intruders’.
Lastly, the rise of industries such as the music industry and the movie industry. Jazz is regularly alluded to related to the Roaring Twenties. New forms of entertainment have emerged. Cinema has become extremely popular. For the next 30 years, radio was the mainstream medium. By 1930, there were over 30 million radios in the US. They were used for advertising, entertainment, music and sporting events.