The Mafia was around for along time before the 1920s and existed in almost every major city in the United States. But 1920s Chicago is particularly noteworthy because of what was going on in American policy at the time: Prohibition. The Mafia got involved in huge bootlegging rackets, bringing alcohol to the masses illegally. This was a risky business involving huge sums of money. Whenever such large amounts of money are involved, greed, deception, and murder tend to follow.
Learn more about the Mafia in the resources, and use what you learn to bring the play into the Twentieth Century!
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Gale Collection One of our subscription databases. Select History, and limit to U.S. History. Enter 1920s. Look for the articles that are overviews. This resource is accessible from home, but a login/password is required. See page 40 of your planner!
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American Cultural History 1920-1929 From the Kingwood College Library. This site has web links to many topics related to the 1920s--Art and Architecture, Books and Literature, Fashion and Fads, Events and People, Music, and Theater, Film and Radio.
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The Roaring 1920s This ThinkQuest covers such topics as World News, Finance, Science and Technology, Sports, Arts and Literature, and Life.
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The Lawless Decade website has excerpts from the book The Lawless Decade by Paul Sann, and includes a picture collation by George Hornby. This is a searchable website. (This is a also musical site! Plug in your headphones in the library!)
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The Mafia Website: Want to know exactly how a sit-down works? What omerta means? Then you’ve come to the right place. The Mafia website has all things Mafia.
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Slang of the 1920s And that’s no baloney!
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Chicago in the 1920s... This website has it all, gangsters, prohibition, music, fashion and more!
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The Fashion of the 1920s If your characters are going to play the part, they must look the part – find it all here!
Public Enemy is a classic film that profiles the rise of a gangster during the Prohibition Era of the 20s. |
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This page was last updated on November 27, 2006.