Don Corleone: The Godfather

“I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.” Don Corleone, The Godfather. This famous line from The Godfather has become one of the most famous and well known movie lines of all time. The Godfather was a portrayal on the Mafia groups thriving in the major cities of the United States. At the time, Mafia members have been viewed as criminals and also heros. The American Mafia's of the early nineteen hundreds have created a lasting legacy and appear everywhere in modern culture from movies, music and legends.

The Mafia originated on the island of Sicily, Italy during the mid nineteenth century. These “families” were formed to protect themselves from intruders, often foreigners. They called themselves mafiosos. They then formed small

Mafia groups were generally small until 1920 when the United States Congress passed the 18th amendment of the United States Constitution. Prohibition started, and thus gave Mafia members an incentive to form alcohol trafficking corporations. Mafia groups were on the rise, each of which mainly worked in alcohol bootlegging. In the late 1920s, chaotic and violent struggles for power, known as the Castellammarese War, broke in New York City between the two biggest two biggest Mafia groups in the area. This led to a mobster boss Luciano to establish a group called the Commission to serve as the board of directors for the American Mafia. The Commission consisted of twenty mob families across the United States, with the five main families located in New York. One of the most famous mobsters of the time was Al Capone. Capone moved to Chicago from his previous home in New York, to work under Johnny Torrio, a high powered mobster in Chicago. Capone quickly became Torrio’s right hand man. In 1925, Torrio was shot several times, but not killed. This lead Torrio to give his gang empire to Al Capone, making him the new “boss”. Capone set up his home base in Cicero, in the outskirts of the Chicago area. Capone continually involved himself in the town’s elections and other political affairs. This made sure that Capone and his Mafia group were safe from the rival Mafia group, The North Side Gang. Capone became very popular and well known throughout the United States. Many people nicknamed him as robin hood. Capone was viewed as a hero in many eyes. Capone’s reputation was damaged by the events on the brutal day of February 14, 1929, the Saint Valentine’s Day