Moral panics are characterized by the feeling that evildoers pose a threat to society. Moral panics often occur during periods of great social change. This paper argues that the societal response to a series of crimes attributed to the “Black Hand” (a crude method of extortion, directed against wealthy Italians and others) occurring in the City of Chicago, and other American cities, during the early part of the 20th century constituted a moral panic; and that the crimes committed were incorrectly defined as the work of the mafia. The theory of moral panic is defined as having at least five crucial characteristics: concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality, and volatility, supported by the history of the societal response to Black Hand activity. The paper concludes that Black Hand activity in Chicago constituted a moral panic. Labeling Black Hand activity as the work of a foreign criminal group provided a rallying point for society to organize against the social upheaval created by large scale Italian immigration. 93 Notes