Just watched Tombstone for the fiftieth time and I was always curious about the claim in the introduction that the Cowboys gang was the "earliest example of organized crime in America". Is it true?
Between about the 1860s-1890s the sophistication, number, and activity of gangs increased steadily in New York City. This was especially true with Irish immigrants, some of whom associated with the 19th Street Gang (1870s) or the earlier Tenth Avenue Gang (1860s). The groups organized pick pocketing, gambling, and numerous other criminal activities. Clashes between gangs sometimes resulted in murder and violence.
What counts as organized crime?
One of the original purposes of the US Secret Service (founded in 1865) was busting up currency counterfeiting rings.