The Wickersham Commission

1548 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of policing in the usa

It is necessary for us to have some background on the time period and the man to

chair the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement. Why did President

Hoover form this commission and what was it to achieve. What was happening to cause

this commission to be needed, and who is George Woodward Wickersham?

George W. Wickersham was born in Pittsburgh 1858, being a graduate of Harvard

Law School began his law practice in Philadelphia, Pa.; in 1882 moved to New York City

becoming a prominent corporate lawyer. 1909 President Taft appointed George

Wickersham to the office of U.S. Attorney General during which time he successfully

prosecuted several corporation violating the Sherman Anti-trust Act. (5)

During the period from 1920 and into the early 1930’s corruption and organized crime

along with other criminal activities flourished aided by prohibition. The days of

Prohibition saw the manufacture and the sale of illegal, bootleg liquor, corruption and

ineffective enforcement of prohibition laws. Prohibition was unpopular with the citizen

population, and many scorned it taking pride in violating its laws. It provided for large

money making opportunities through the illegal manufacturing and selling, transporting

of alcohol. Prohibition was not responsible for widespread corruption and the growth of

organized crime, gangsterism, and violence to innocent citizen victims. The fact that

organized crime manufactured and distributed the bulk of the illegal alcohol through the

1920's and early 1930's is evidence that gangsters were aided by Prohibition.

Enforcement was spotty, with stills and speakeasies popping up in every population

ce...

... middle of paper ...

... http://www.usconstitution.net/constamnotes.html

8 Volstead Act, 1920; http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/Volstead-

Act.html

9 United States. Wickersham Commission. Records,1928-1931: Finding Aid. ...

The Wickersham Commission

by

Richard Lewis

The Wickersham Commission

by

Richard Lewis

Show More
Related

  • Wickersham Commission Research Paper

    445 Words  | 1 Pages

    In May of 1929 President Herbert Hoover appointed the Wickersham Commission with former U.S. Attorney General George W. Wickersham. The Wickersham Commission is officially called the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement. The commission was in response to the public’s concern about crime and also was a way to resolve the debate of continuing prohibiting. Wickersham at the time was an attorney and a former cabinet member, as its chairmen. The Commission was the first review in the United States of federal review and law enforcement. It consisted of judges, educators, lawyers, that represented all sections of the country. The commission was made up of eleven subcommittees, and it published the 14 reports in 1931. These reports covered the importance of probation and parole, police procedures, and the cause of crime. The members that represented these committees were leading experts in

    Read More

  • The Associative Vision at Home and Abroad by Ellis Hawley

    326 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hoover, as Secretary of Commerce attempted to put his vision of the “associative state” into effect. He did this through his belief in de facto intervention in markets through incentives. In no other market did he display this plan more than agriculture, by creating the Food Administration. Hoover pushed for scientific innovations in agriculture, to produce high quality yields and better methods of farming.

    Read More

  • The Radicalism Of The American Revolution Gordon S. Wood Summary

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    The education of an author on their topic is the biggest contributor to their reliability; having enough prior knowledge and background information on a subject is crucial when providing a historical analysis. An author’s personal background is of great importance as well, because their personal heritage and beliefs may lead to bias and misrepresentation of information, which removes all credibility of them and/or their work as source. Partiality, favoritism, and/or prejudice towards a specific demographic can create a blurred line between what is fact and what is opinion, which in turn can allow for personal assessments to be presented as arguments and facts even though they have been influenced to a great extent by prior thoughts and opinions.

    Read More

  • Review of "SInce Yesterday"

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    He quickly moves from the panic of 1929 to the ‘30’s and how many of the popular governmental sentiments during the election were no longer so. Hoover quickly moved from a position of public acceptance and admiration to that of a scapegoat. That the Depression was his fault is not entirely true, though. Hoover did not have much of the information needed to foretell the economic situation. In the laissez-faire form of government he prescribed, there was no place for a department that would document these things for the use of the president’s office.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Franklin Roosevelt And Hoover's Inaugural Address

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hoover shared with the nation after the First World War, and he promised to bring continued peace and prosperity. He declared, “I have an abiding faith in their capacity, integrity and high purpose. “…we find some causes for concern. We have emerged from the losses of the Great War and the reconstruction following it with increased virility and strength.” In this regard, he also pushed the nation to take the blame and the initiative to be responsible to make that change needed.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Reaction of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover to the Great Depression

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    At first Hoover opposed any relief efforts, but as the Depression worsened, he started a few farm assistance programs. Hoover hoped that theses farm programs would help the farmers’ situation with the low crop prices. Unfortunately farmers had to come dependent on this government handout. Hoover also started federal work projects such as the Grand Coulee Dam and the Hoover Dam. These projects provided many jobs for people and provided affordable hydroelectric power for people but the Great Depression was a much bigger problem than a few extra job openings could fix. Hoping that raising tariffs could help American business Hoover created the Hawley-Smoot Tarrif. This actually worsened economy and caused lower export rates. One of Hoover’s big mistakes was that he wouldn’t go off the gold standard. Hoov...

    Read More

  • territorial expansion dbq

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, in the eighteen hundreds, many people debated over whether territorial expansion was good or bad. Debates between the supporters and opposers created tension in the nation and enforced sectionalism. Although, typically, everybody is supposed to have the same say in government, it can be clearly seen during this time period that the supporters of territorial expansion had a greater influence on the policies created by the federal government.

    Read More

  • Historical Accounts of the English Civil War

    2026 Words  | 5 Pages

    Second, the historian must place himself within the existing historical debate on the topic at hand, and state (if not so formulaically as is presented here) what he intends to add to or correct about the existing discussion, how he intends to do that (through examining new sources, asking new questions, or shifting the emphasis of pre-existing explanations), and whether he’s going to leave out some parts of the story. This fulfills the qualities of good history by alerting readers to the author’s bias in comparison with the biases of other schools of scholarship on the topic, and shows that the author is confident enough in his arguments to hold them up to other interpreta...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of William Cronon's Why The Past Matters

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.

    Read More

  • The difference Between Life In The 1930s And Life In The year 2003

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    There was a Great Depression in the 1930's. During this time President Hoover was trying to fight against unemployment. The percentage of unemployed people rose 25 percent during this time. With unemployment continuing to rise, President Hoover urged congress to provide up to 150 billion dollars for public works to create jobs.

    Read More

  • President Hoover And The Great Depression

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people thought that President Hoover did not take the appropriate actions to end the conditions of The Great Depression. President Hoover thought that the decreasing economy would only be temporary. Hoover decided to give advice to businesses and local government. He told businesses to not cut wages or production. This eventually led to over production then unemployment. These were two major components of The Great Depression and also why people believed that President Hoover did not take the appropriate actions to end the conditions of The Great Depression. Next, Hoover even agreed to allow more money for public works. He believed this would help provide more jobs to create bridges, parks and libraries. Later, state and local government ran out of money to support public works. Therefore, Hoover was forced to try a new remedy to end the conditions of The Great Depression. President Hoover decided to try to help with the RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corporation). This was when money was lent to businesses or programs providing help for the needy or in other words, relief. This plan was unsuccessful because directors did not want to grant risky loans and suffer the consequences. President Hoover also refused to give WWI veterans their $1,000 bonus immediately. Soldiers were promised a $1,000 bonus by 1945. Since these soldiers were coming home in the mist of The Great Depression, they wanted and needed their money in advanced. Most Veterans were out of work by the time they got home and they formed a group. The jobless veterans, who formed a group called The Bonus Army, marched to Washington D.C. to protest. Some people gave up the protest and left while others stayed. At one point the protest got so violet between the veter...

    Read More

  • President Cleveland

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    firm. While working there, he studied law and by May of 1859, the New York Supreme

    Read More

  • J Edgar Hoover Analysis

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    J. Edgar Hoover began the establishment of the FBI alongside his partner Clyde Tolson and secretary, Helen Gandy. Hoover directed the FBI during eight presidential terms ranging from Coolidge, until his death during Nixon’s presidency. He began his career at the U.S Department of Justice in 1917, quickly rising from attorney General A. Mitchell Palmers’ assistant, to the head of the General Intelligence Division, and eventually reaching the position of director of the FBI (“J. Edgar Hoover”). Next, as the director of the Bureau of Investigation Hoover increasingly became fearful and anti-communist, focusing on the Black Panthers, Martin Luther King and many other political groups he saw as threatening to society. Though various methods of manipulation including blackmail, wiretaps, raids and unnecessary arrests, Hoover did everything in his power to disp...

    Read More

  • The Role of Mama in A Raisin in the Sun

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...r’s household most women in this period had no self-respect and were controlled by their husbands.

    Read More

  • Conspiracy Theory and The Truth

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    they were still motivated to manipulate their people to follow the current rules. In New York

    Read More

More about The Wickersham Commission

Open Document