Alphonse Capone was one of the most powerful criminals in the history of the United States. He was powerful during the Jazz age and became so famous by illegally selling alcohol during the Prohibition, that he was one of the main reasons Prohibition came to an end. Capone’s rise to power helped abolish Prohibition as the city became more dangerous with the illegal bootlegging industry. From a very young age, working under Frankie Yale and Johnny Torrio, he started to get tougher and more criminal. Soon after, as he started to get more and more influence, the city started to get crime-infested. He tried his hardest to evade the police and used dirty methods to do so. His biggest crime, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, started his downfall, because it scared people and the authorities. Eventually, as the government started tracking him and finally captured him, they realized how much he used the Prohibition to his advantage and that other people were doing the same. After Capone was finally arrested the authorities realized how many crimes had been caused by the Prohibition. It was …show more content…
His parents were both Italian immigrants. Unlike most famous mafia leaders, Capone’s family was not poor. His father was a barber. Even though he grew up in a relatively nice household, he lived in gang-infested Brooklyn. He had 8 siblings: James Vincenzo, Ralph, Salvatore “Frank”, John, Albert, Matthew, Rose (who died within a year of birth), and Mafalda. Some of these siblings played an important role in Capone’s life as they helped him with his gang activities. He went to school until sixth grade, when dropped out to join a gang. Capone gained the famous nickname “Scarface” when he worked at a bar. He flirted with a girl in front of her brother. The angered brother cut Capone on the face with a razor blade which scarred his left side. As he started to become famous, the Chicago Tribune nicknamed him