[OOC] The Volstead Act

This role play will take place in Chicago, Illinois during the roaring 20's where many of American's historical events took place. The first Great War had just ended and now alcohol is being prohibited in order to preserve the resource of grain. While some agree with the choice the United States Government has made, others do not. Organized crime is beginning to take hold of the city by the means of alcohol smuggling, prostitution, and murder. Gangsters have a shadowy rule over their sectors of town and none dare to walk into another's territory unless they wish to meet their ends by the hand of "Tommy" Thompson; a well known submachine gun.

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone is an Italian-American gangster who leads a crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", is dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution.
Al "Scarface" Capone is currently an NPC.
Slots: Four

The Untouchables was a group of thirteen U.S. federal law-enforcement agents, led by Eliot Ness, who works to end illegal activities by aggressively enforcing Prohibition and tax laws against the organizations. In their conduct, they became legendary for being fearless and incorruptible, earning the nickname "Untouchables."
Eliot Ness is currently an NPC.
Slots: Two

The Untouchables and Gangsters are not the only characters that are allowed in the game. There is a wide range of characters that can be made such as flappers, con-men, movie stars, or normal people. The information below is to help get a better understanding of the era and perhaps inspire a little creativity.

Prohibition
The society of the 1920's is at odds with itself. There are those of older generations and the middle class who still cling to the Puritan ethics that accompanied our Founding Fathers. This segment of society wallows in propriety of the later 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th. Religious groups made up mostly of women searching to assert themselves politically formed a crusade against immoral practices including the consumption of liquor.

Racism
The temperance movement achieved much of its success through propaganda tactics thrown at middle classes deepest fears. As socialism and communism achieved their greatest victories to date in the last two elections, many felt that it was due to the large influx of immigrants from European nations. Prohibition played on the fears of the white Anglo-Saxon American by linking immigrants to many social issues including the consumption of alcohol as European cultures had a tendency to imbibe. In this environment, discrimination was the norm. African Americans were still saddled with segregation laws that were common in both the North and South. Chicago was not an exception. Tensions among working class whites and black were high as each competed for jobs.

Women
In response to the victories women's temperance groups received with the ratification of the Prohibition Amendment, women were finally considered a real political force in the nation and the right to vote was given with the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920. However, while American women are for the first time asserting themselves, ideals of the time still dictate what roles women are to fill in society and in the home. Women are paid less than men and have fewer opportunities available to them than in our modern times. Properly brought up young ladies still require chaperones while with a suitor, they still are dependant on their fathers and husbands, and are not thought of as equals by the general male population. The younger generations of American women are hampered by the double standards that both their male peers and their matriarchs still cling. The response to this is a rebellion in the form of flapper culture.

Flappers
It was here that the flapper came to be. Young women rebelled against the old matriarchs and cut their hair short and hiked up their hem lines and painted their faces in the spirit of their new found freedom sparked by economic wealth and new political rights. The flappers male counterpart was known as the Flaming Youth. Both decadent party goers demanded the access to the liquors that were accessible to the very well connected and thus a demand that had never really vanished increased.

Economics and the New Decade
There was a backlash response to the religious fervor that forced it rural values on the rest of the nation. This backlash was in part caused by the economic upswing dazzling most of the nation. Unemployment was low, wages were up and many people of all classes found themselves with money to burn. Following the example of the wealthiest segments of society, the middle class was now buying on credit and speculating in the stock market which was rising at a feverish pace. This created a new class of wealthy among the higher social circles known as the Nouveau Riche(or New Rich). This created confidence in most urban societies and a transition from old to new began. The new generation resented the hold of the crones of the temperance movements with their Victorian ideals and began their rebellion with a zeal matching that of the Prohibitionists. These newly rich mixed freely with the old rich socialites but were resented for their lack of breeding. However, it barely mattered as the party is what they were all after.

The Rise of Organized Crime and Bootleggers
This was the Golden Age of the mob, which prior to Prohibition was limited to rackets, extortion, prostitution, and infiltration of labor unions. Prohibition provided a demand for an illegal service that was too lucrative to pass by. The money earned from the distribution and sale of liquor into the United States provided the bank roll for the mob to become an invisible force in our modern economics today.

Entertainment/Media
Hollywood was in the beginning of its heyday. The silent movie became a staple of every American's choice of entertainment and it became an occasion to put on one's best and head to the spectacular movie houses of the urban centers. The Studio system was born out of Edison's little contraption. These studios were started by primarily extremely wealthy Jewish patrons who also supported the theater. Names like Valentino, Swanson, Fairbanks, Keaton, and Chaplin delighted audiences and whisked them away to the magical world of the silver screen.

Government
Politicians were regularly bought and sold and owned by the Mob. However, there were a growing number of politicians especially on the national level that began to put the pressure on city officials to do something about organized crime. Eventually, it will be Federal officers that get the Mafia. Most politicians played ball with the Mob as they were particularly wealthy, violent and powerful at this time. They were not all crooked, but it was a good bet that the police and city officials were on someone's payroll. Corruption is a way of life in Chicago and most already know that and know Chicago has a buddy system all its own.

Calvin Coolidge is President. His radical theories on trickle-down economics lead to the sharp rise in economic growth of the nation. Everyone loved Coolidge. However, his policies eventually led to a growth that could not be sustained and in 1929, the Market Crashed.

Law Enforcement
Chicago PD was rife with corruption as 80% to 90% of all officers were on someone's payroll.

Technology
What they have: radios, revolvers, tommyguns, the discovery of germs and microscopic life, forensics is in its infancy (mainly just fingerprints) no DNA or anything sophisticated, and physics is blooming.

Superstition
Parlor tricks, s?ances, fortune telling, ouija boards were part of any good dinner party in the 1920's. The wealthy enjoyed the company of psychics and astrologists for their salons and wild parties. Carnivals and fairs always featured these charlatans and books on tarot and witchcraft were the rage. Most cities were accompanied by a rich oral tradition in urban legends and Chicago was no exception.

Fashion
Dress codes were way less casual than today's. It was typical for women to wear hats and gloves. Men wore hats and suits. Most in people in general enjoyed wearing nice clothing and "Puttin' on the Ritz". Were colorful and ornate accessories accompanied both outfits?whether it be a gentleman's pocket watch or a woman's hair pin.

Men: Men's fashions hadn't changed much over the ages. Slacks and cotton dress shirts were the norm even for laborers in the cities. Suits and fedoras and possibly spats accompanied the average middle class male. A flaming youth would typically dress with a straw hat and resemble a member of a barbershop quartette.

Women: Hemlines were at the knees or lower and the straight silhouette was popular. Some even dared to wear slacks for occasions that were to be active and casual. Hair was worn up or in a short bob and accompanied by a head dress or hat or scarf. Materials were luxurious and colorful.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/06vjQ6PIxf8/viewtopic.php

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