Sin 2/3 Blog

The second and third parts of Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott focus more on the business of prostitution and the downfall of the Everleigh Club in Chicago. Part two and three goes more in depth into the business of prostitution in Chicago. Also the last two parts of the book explains the downfall and closure of the Everleigh Club.

 The Everleigh sisters faced some backlash from people from around the city and state such congressmen, religious leaders and law enforcement leaders. These groups pressed very hard to shutdown the Everleigh Club as well as putting an end to prostitution. After rigorous affects by congressmen, religious leaders and law enforcement leaders eventually it lead to the closure of the Everleigh Club and the placement of more strict laws on prostitution. From the start of the Everleigh Club, the Everleigh sister faced many obstacles during this time from many outside people. As the Everleigh Club became successful, more problems began to follow the Everleigh sisters.

One of the obstacles the sisters had to deal with was the present of Ernest Bell. Ernest Bell was a reverend who started his Midnight Mission so he could stop the activities going on in and around the Everleigh Club. Reverend Bell would hold nightly sermons outside the Everleigh Club to turn people away from the infamous brothel.

When they arrived on South Dearborn Street, the Everleigh Club before them, he halted and thrust out his arm.[1] Reverend Bell made it his mission to shut down every brothel in Chicago.

As the years began to past, things started to worsen for brothels and the prostitution business. We begin to see bills and laws starting to pass to put a strain on the prostitution business. The White Slave Traffic Act was a major component that contributed to the downfall of brothels and prostitution. On June 25 1910, the last day of the session, President William Howard Taft signed the White Slave Traffic Act into law.[2] Once this law was put into place we begin to see brothels and prostitution go downhill.

The final straw that lead to the closure of the Everleigh Club was Mayor Harrison of Chicago. Mayor Harrison made it a point to shut down the club for good. On October 24,1911 Mayor Harrison demanded the closure of the Everleigh Club. He wrote an order to close the club immediately. After tucking it into an envelope, the mayor called for a special messenger, who carried it immediately to the armory station and delivered it into the police chief’s hands. “Close the Everleigh Club’, the paper read. Effective immediately.[3] After the message was received by the police chief, it was the beginning to the end for the Everleigh Club. 

The Everleigh sisters were tremendous business women and they were always planning their next business move. Even if the club closing the still ended up being okay. This Sisters had a plan and they stayed with it and they had one of the most successful businesses in the early 1900s.    

    

1. Karen Abbott. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul. New York: Random House, 2007. Kindle Edition. Location 1931

2. Karen Abbott. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul. New York: Random House, 2007. Kindle Edition. Location 3857

3. Karen Abbott. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul. New York: Random House, 2007. Kindle Edition. Location 4232

sin 1 blog

After doing the assigned reading for this week, we take a look into the the lives of two ambitious sisters and the crazy underworld of prostitution in the early 1900s. During this time period it seems to me many Americans and immigrants were chasing dollars. Many people were trying find new and better ways to make more money so they could live a better life. The Everleigh Sisters would among those people who were trying to make money and they did it by getting into one of the worlds oldest profession, prostitution. It was crazy to me how the Everleigh sister truly went all out to start own madam business or service. They went to different places to get ideas on marketing a advertising and everything. The Everleigh sisters had one of the most successful brothels in the city of Chicago. After reading part one, it seems to me that prostitution was more open and accepted and was part of the cultural trends and theme.

Ada and Minna Everleigh were from a small town outside of Louisville, Kentucky and  came from an okay upbringing. They were southern debutantes from outside of Louisville, Kentucky with a wealthy lawyer father, a doting mother, and finishing school pedigrees.[1] 

Like most women in the 1900s, the Everleigh sisters got married at a young age and were in abusive relationships. Their abusive relationships cause them to run away to Omaha, Nebraska to a madam business. The sisters knew how to run a very lucrative business and where very successful.

The cultural trends during this time in American were into were very unholy and untamed by most people standards. Many major cities during this time start to see a rinse in things like organized crime. Even in its frontier days, Chicago oozed vice rooted in liquor and gambling, with prostitutes and pimps following closely behind, tailed in turn by the hoodlums, pickpockets, burglars, con men, ropers, and dopes.[2] The demand for brothels were very high in major cities during this time. Brothels were one of the biggest part of cultural trends in America and the Everleigh sisters had the most lucrative brothel in Chicago. The cultural trends during this time allowed brothels to be more acceptable and one in society.

Later in part one of Sin in the second city, we bring to see the themes of the Everleigh club. As the Everleigh club became more lucrative, the Everleigh sisters began to competition and jealousy from other brothels in the area. The Everleigh sister had small and unique ideas to stay on top, for example the Blue bedroom and the Japanese Throne Room. The Everleigh sister were great in marketing their business and “product”. during this time the sisiter are busier and begin to renovate. The sisters were busier than ever. Six months earlier, final renovations within the “New Annex” at 2133 were completed.[3] Just like the saying, “more money, more problems”. The Everleigh sisters start to see some issues amomg their business but the sisters always managed to handle the situations.

1.Abbott, Karen. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul. New York: Random House, 2007. Kindle app edition. Location 294

2. Location 401

3. Location 1573

Devaughn's Introduction

Hello Classmates, My name is Devaughn James. My friends and family members call me Vaughn or Bo, but Devaughn is just fine.

 I'm originally from Berkeley,California and currently still live in the Bay Area

 with my beautiful wife and my lovely two year old son (he is 1 in this picture). 

Currently I'm pursing my goal of becoming a History teacher and a high school football coach. My ultimate goal is to become a teacher so I can be a positive model for the youth of today.

One place that I have been that I think everyone should go is Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia,Canada. This place is beautiful and huge.

  

The one place that I would like to go to is New York, I have been to a lot of places but I haven't made it to New York yet.

To me the most defining characteristic of American culture today is social media. America's have an unique lifestyle than other cultures around the world. We are motivated by the social media and current trends. Today just about everyone is on some type of social media outlet. I guess I'm old fashion because I'm not on any social media outlet, unless we call the class a type of social media. I hope everyone enjoys the class this semester.