In 1903, Nicola Gentile, a native of Siculiana, Sicily, finding no occupation in his village, came to America as a stowaway on a ship to soon begin his life full of crime. Although barely able to read and write, he believed that he possessed an uncommon strength of will to be sinister. This trait would soon help him to rise to the high rank in

The American Mafia has been an infamous staple of American culture for many years because of its leaders, its ruthless method of operation, and its impact on the economy through crime. Although people may not be sure where the name Mafia comes from or what it really means, the following is apparent. Across the nations for decades, the word Mafia has meant murder, prostitution, gambling, illegal alcohol, drugs, and most importantly, fear.

The Italian-Sicilian's were not alone in immigrating to the United States. The Germans, Irish, and European Jews also came in great waves, running from hunger and religious persecution. They not only had trouble adjusting to the other ethnic groups, but with accepting America's Puritan Ethic. It was based upon WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), therefore the accumulation of wealth being seen as proof of God's favor and evidence of a moral life. Many people took this seriously, and tried to help the country as much as possible. New arrivals took jobs such as building railroads, working in the shrimp or sponge industries, and also in steel mills. These jobs brought newcomers to New England, the west coast of Florida, Ohio Valley, Pittsburgh, and many other places. Another law people began to live by was proposed by Gentile, saying that you should take what you can get. The law of the jungle you might say, therefore giving justification to organized crime today. Many tried to argue with people, among themselves, saying that once they made a lot of money; they could "earn" God's blessing by doing good things for other people with their money. Many universities greatly benefited from this idea throughout the years. It took a while, but the Mafia soon began to find the many short cuts to easy wealth. Most started by getting involved in prostitution, selling women to immigrants whom missed their wives. Places were established in large cities such as Chicago, to train new girls, usually unwillingly to be prostitutes. Auctions would then be held, the girls being sold to the highest bidder, making them known as white slaves. Since such a large number of women were needed to satisfy all the men, the organization soon had to travel to cities half way across the country to meet their demands. Soon after the White Slave Traffic Act was passed, prohibiting the transportation of females in

"What a contrast with the inhabitants of my town, "he commented, "People who, when they walked, studied their manner of walking so that their slow strut made them appear solemn, with the thumb of the right hand hooked in the belt of the pants, with the cap tilted over the right eye, trying to create an arrogant air that should command respect." (Hank Messick and Burt Goldblatt 7).

Cleveland was just one city that appeared to be so attractive to hundreds of immigrants. By 1923, only 35.4 percent of public school children were of unmixed white American parentage, most settling in the Woodland district. Cleveland had the fourth largest Jewish population of any city in the Unite

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Approximate Word count = 2047
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)