Essay on Gangs of New York

“Gangs have morphed from social organizations into full-fledged criminal enterprises” (Thomas, 2009, para 5). Gangs are highly sophisticated and more dangerous then ever. The number one reason to join a gang is money; and 95 percent of gangs profit comes from drug dealing

In the movie “Gangs of New York”, we see a city changed and reshaped through cultural influence of feuding individuals with different ideas. The movie is about a young man, Amsterdam Vance, who seeks to avenge his father, who was brutally murder in a gang dispute, against his adversary Bill the Butcher. On the surface the movie seems simple enough but in the back ground we see a cultural shift as immigrants come into America. Also we see political influences and material possession such as clothing and other belongings set people apart and define the social status of the

Gangs of New York is a film directed by Martin Scorsese in 2002. The film takes place during the Civil War and the settling of the Irish immigrants. Amsterdam Vallon’s father has been killed at the hands of Bill “The Butcher” and he now seeks revenge. The film portrays the violence, gangs, and political corruption of Five Points, New York in 1863. This film is relevant to the class due to our study of political corruption. Though the use of plot, setting, and characterization the film dramatically comes to life.

   Throughout There Are No Children Here, a continuous, powerful tension always lurks in the background. The gangs that are rampant in the housing projects of Chicago cause this tension. In the Henry Horner Homes, according to Kotlowitz, one person is beaten, shot, or stabbed due to gangs every three days. In one week during the author's study of the projects, police confiscated 22 guns and 330 grams of cocaine in Horner alone (Kotlowitz 32).

Some of the most important factors were that they had almost no skills for working in agriculture or urban society. This was because many only knew how to grow potatoes and Ireland was not industrialized by that time. Another factor was the fact that many people and companies became anti-Irish. The Irish did not know how to behave in the workplace and many joined unions so they were not reliable. Lastly, they worked in low-class jobs. They had to take the dangerous jobs no one else wanted because they were at the bottom of the social class and getting discriminated against by companies. Today some people are discriminated against because of how they look, speak or even sexual orientation. There are laws against it but it still happens. Some will not get chances to even show themselves because of those factors. Many people today are still racist and homophobic and will not give them the chances they deserve. For all they could know they could be great people. This relates to the Irish immigrants because they were sometimes not even given a chance and had to work very dangerous jobs because of their ethnicity. This caused them to be unsuccessful in American

Irish immigrants began arriving in Philadelphia in the seventeenth century in an effort to escape poverty, starvation, and English oppression. By the eighteenth century, Philadelphia was a bustling city growing rapidly in industry and the immigrants had dreams of a better life, free of the repression they had experienced in Ireland. Pennsylvania seemed an ideal place for the emigrants since, as McDaniel (2014) notes William Penn envisioned the province to be socially, economically and religiously diverse “where differences of opinion and backgrounds would naturally create a stable and tolerant society.” After surviving the often dangerous voyage from Ireland, the Irish were met with little hospitality. Many of the colonists considered the

Picture Manhattan in 1860, a time before the city had been dolled up and gotten ready for the silver screen, before the glamour and allure took over. Amsterdam Vallan (DiCaprio) is a young Irish man that migrates to the USA at a young age. Amsterdam’s story takes place in Five Points District of New York, a filthy and dangerous part of the city before it was deleted form history. As a young boy Vallan witnessed his father’s murder at the hand of William Cutting or Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis) during one of their many gang wars. As Amsterdam’s story progresses along side The Butcher they become inseparable, but Amsterdam had ulterior motive. Ultimately, Amsterdam attempts to betray his new found ally in order to avenge his father’s death.

“American Gangster” is based on the true story of Frank Lucas’ life. It is the story of how he cut out the middleman in the heroin business and the story of how Ritchie Roberts caught him. Throughout the film we see the parallel between a cop and a criminal as we inch forward to see their lives finally meet.

At the start of the movie, there are two of the many gangs in the five points prepping for a brawl to see who would control the five points. Amsterdam Vallon walks with his father, the leader of the Dead Rabbits Gang, to Paradise square where the brawl would take place. Bill “The Butcher” Cutting, the leader of the Bowery Boys, leads his gang to the square. The fight ensues Bill has eventually killed Priest Vallon which ensured that the Bowery boys would control five points. Amsterdam is sent away, he returns years later from prison. He wants revenge for his father’s death years earlier, he knows he has to defeat Bill from the inside so he joins Bill as his assistant. Amsterdam falls for smart thief Jenny. Amsterdam tries to kill Bill, but fails and is wounded by Bill. Jenny nurses him back to health. Amsterdam publicly announces his return to five points by hanging a dead rabbit in the square, Bill sends a gang member to investigate and is killed by Amsterdam and hung in the square. In vengeance, Bill beats Johnny and puts him on a pike in the square forcing Amsterdam to put down suffering Johnny. Amsterdam challenges Bill to a duel in the square just as a riot breaks out, and the military is sent in to control the rioters, Bill is wounded from cannon shrapnel. Amsterdam kills Bill, Amsterdam then leaves with Jenny and they move together to San Francisco.

Street gangs in this country can probably be traced back to the first wave of Europeans who migrated to the colonies for a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the first gangs were formed as a means of self protection, with the thinking that there is simply strength in numbers. The missions of gangs in today’s society have grown and emerged to include many violent criminal avenues, including drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and extortion but the original thinking that there is strength in numbers remains true. Criminology experts believe that the number of teens involved in gangs or gang activity may be as high as 1 in every 5 people in most urban areas. Those number jump to 1 in every 3 people in

Gangs of New York, set in the 1860s New York, follows the story through the eyes of Amsterdam, bought into life by Leonardo DiCaprio. Director Martin Scorsese does a wonderful job of portraying history on a live screen. Scorsese starts off in what seems to be early 1846 when the Irish immigrants flooded into New York following the famine of 1842. The movie starts with an Irish Catholic Priest Vallon (Liam Nesson) and his group “Dead rabbits” facing off against the native groups, Protestants, William Cutting “Bill the Butcher” (Daniel Day-Lewis) at five points square. Amsterdam, Priest Vallon’s Son, witnesses the battle and the death of his father at the hands of Cutting. The young boy sees men fighting with knives, cleavers and clubs cutting through flesh and bones. The boy flees his capture. Then we see a young Amsterdam in his 20s come out of Hell Gate, set foot on the same ground he saw his father die and plot his revenge.

Gangs of New York (2002), a bold and violent movie directed by Martin Scorsese takes us back to a New York without skyscrapers and modern-day lavishes that shows the rise of violent gang power and political corruption. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, the film features a personal struggle placed within the context of gang warfare between Nativists and immigrants, which is set in the larger context of the Draft Riots and the Civil War. It is a reconstructed historical narrative that uses interlocking events filled with gang violence and political corruption to show how the modern New York was born.

When was the last time you were able to turn on the news and not hear about some sort of violent act? Crime is a growing concern amongst most cities, and street gangs are behind a lot of the trouble. Street gangs have plagued the streets for centuries and there is no stopping the urge to commit such hideous crimes. Gangs grow from recruiting young kids but what makes a kid decide to join a crime filled lifestyle.

Gangs are becoming prevalent in today’s society and within our schools. More and more young people are turning to gangs in an attempt to escape their everyday lives and the future, which they perceive as dismal and bleak. They are initially attracted to the prestige and cash flow, which is glamorized by the street gang. Many gangs are actively involved in criminal misconduct, such as drug and gun trafficking, burglaries and homicides. However, street gangs are not just a criminal justice issue, but a social problem, which is triggered by poverty, peer pressure, boredom, despair and lacking a sense of belonging.

In society today, there is a major problem We live in a society where gangs are taking over our neighborhoods in numbers. It is the responsibility of the individuals to part take in getting their neighborhoods back under control. Gangs are becoming a growing problem in American society. More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives or for acceptance. When youths join gangs, they drop all their social activities with school, family, and friends. However, individuals ruin their lives, and the chances of them having a decent education, and a successful life by getting involved in gang activity.