The Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded in 1908. It was created to combat corruption and crime on a national scale. Initially, there were no real federal crimes, so the agency basically concentrated on cases known to have involved national banking, bankruptcy, naturalization, antitrust, and land fraud. At the time, there was no systematic method for enforcing the law across the vast expanse of the United States. This shifted significantly with the start of Prohibition enforcement in 1920.
When the FBI was first established, there were over 100 cities with populations exceeding 50,000, where crime had grown alongside urban expansion. These crowded cities, filled with impoverished and disillusioned residents, often faced ethnic tensions that contributed to frequent outbursts of anger. Violent clashes between striking workers and factory bosses became increasingly common. Still, none of that really fit into the general purpose of the FBI.
During the late 1920s and through the 1930s, high-profile crimes and notorious criminals captured the public’s attention. J Edgar Hoover and his agents, famously called “G-Men,” took center stage. Gangsters like “Machine Gun” Kelly, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, “Baby Face” Nelson, John Dillinger, Al Capone, and “Ma” Barker became larger-than-life figures, idolized by many Americans. Hoover rose to the occasion, using Hollywood and detective fiction writers to craft an image of his agents (and himself) as heroic foes of these criminals. While gangsters were painted as public enemies, the G-Men were celebrated as heroic cops, with J Edgar Hoover as their iconic leader. While I don’t condone illegal activity, the fact that producing and drinking alcoholic beverages became illegal overnight, actually turned otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals. It’s hard to say how many of them wouldn’t have become criminals anyway, or how many weren’t into criminal activity already, but the Prohibition Act cemented their activities into crimes. Moonshining came about after Prohibition began, and all 
those moonshiners were criminals caused by the Prohibition Act.
Throughout their history, the integrity and reputation of the FBI have plunged as different scandals and breeches of protocol have plagued the agency. These days, the question of who is investigated and who isn’t, usually based on political affiliation, is a sore spot with me and many others. The agency has a long way to go to ever earn my respect again.
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