im doing a project on him and i have to write a page on why he is John Gotti an important historical figure. btw does anybody now where i can find pictures of John Gotti, Paul Castellano, and Neil Dellacroce?

You can find photos of all three in the Kurins and O'Brien book, "Boss of Bosses."
Most scholars would say that John Gotti is historically important because he represented the last gasp of of the myth that the Mafia was "invincible"--namely that he was able to beat three extremely high-profile felony raps, including a RICO rap. That's how he got his nickname, "the Teflon Don." He was also a folk hero to some people, a Mob boss from a supposedly "secret" society who lived his life like a celebrity. I think he was historically important because he personified the decline of the Mafia in modern times: the Dunce as Don.

I think that his life which has been highly
documented is related to the typical rags
to riches theory.He came from a broken home,
lived his life on the streets and made a
name for him-self as a collector for bookies
and loan-sharks.He was not affraid of anyone
nor was he affraid to kill.
This being said,he was not the smartest guy
running around,thus the end of an era,his
stupidity and constant rise in celebrity
were the means to his end.
As far as a historical figure he did get his
picture on the cover of a major publication,
shared by people such as athletes,public figures
and actors,he also never testified to the existance of cosa-nostra,he also died a painful
death,which he probobly deserved.I could think
of other people who were much more important
and interesting then JOHNNY BOY.

More hysterical than historical.

all he is, is a hero to the faimlys all over the country. and a hero to me

I have a feeling I'm gonna be sorry for asking...

Why would a career criminal and murderer be a hero to you?

John Gotti was undone by his own stupidity. The only "clever" thing he ever did was planning the murder of Big Paul Castellano. Think about it: Gotti was convicted because the FBI had him on tape admitting to multiple murders and other crimes. He & his brothers were heavily involved in heroin dealing, which brought an increased amount of police scrutiny. Furthermore, Gotti was a maniacal gambler who regularly lost ridiculous sums of money.

He had little foresight as to ensuring the longevity of the Gambino family. For example, his words were a key factor in Sammy The Bull deciding to testify against Gotti. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Sammy at all, so please don't say I'm "pro Sammy." But Gotti's ranting about Sammy's activities that the FBI caught on tape were a big factor leading to Gotti's eventual downfall.

Gotti was able to use his position & money to bribe three juries, thus earning the "Teflon Don" moniker. But once the Bruce Mouw & the FBI discovered Gotti's law enforcement "mole," Gotti was finished. This dufus Gotti only had control of the Family for 7 years before being convicted for life. And during that period, he still managed to serve jail time.

So was Gotti an historical figure? I don't think so. I believe he was more of a media figure who couldn't get enough of his press clippings. Gotti was an egomania who never could think outside of his mentality of being a small-time hijacker from Queens.

Oh well at least John Gotti went down without ratting out his own people.

I'm very confident that, if given the chance to help himself, Gotti would have ratted anyone out. Unfortunately for him, it was too late in the ball game. All of Gotti's cards were already on the table.

i dont think its right to be talking s*it on someone who died, regardless of wat they have done in their lives

i think johnny was an important figure because his riegn was a death of an era. when old gives way 2 new. he proved that u can work the system, and 4 a hot N.Y. minute the man was "untouchable". although yes he did make a lot of mistakes and got 2 cocky wich only pissed the feds off more and made himself a bigger priority 2 them, i think thats what he wanted. the man was from the streets and his conflics with the feds became like a street scrap 2 him. yes he could've back down and regrouped, but i think he took his beef with the system personal (wich we all know in the "business world is a no-no). he wanted 2 rub it in thier face, the man was an old school street fightin man and wasn't going 2 back down a bit. ultimatly it was his downfall. 2 me he'll b the 1 who took on the system and gave it them a good fight.

p.s. court tv's crime library gots some good facts & probably some pictures 2.

I would agree with you for a normal human being, not a murder & career criminal like Gotti. May he rot in hell.

I would agree with you for a normal human being, not a murderer & thug like Gotti. [/b][/quote]

That policy wouldn't leave much for the history books, would it?

Hitler. Saddam Hussein. Bin Laden. Mussolini. All nineteen 9/11 terrorists. Etc.

"talking shit". but for informative material of wat they did is ok for history books