Irish Immigration In The Late 1800s

The Truth:

In the United States in the mid-1800’s people from both European and Asian countries began to immigrant to New York City in the search for a better life. Coming to the United Sates was not an easy task but based on the conditions in their native countries it was well worth it. There were many reasons as to why people left their native countries which included overpopulation, crop failures, religious and political corruption and plundering economy due to the industrial revolution and job losses. The reason they came to the United States and saw it as a better way of life was because of the freedom that was offered, economic opportunity and the abundance of land. One of the groups that immigrated to the U.S was the Irish. A majority

The Irish did not receive a sufficient education and had little to no money to their name which caused men to work on the railroads and women to work as servants. The men often risked their lives on the job site as they were competing with freed slaves for employment. Because they lacked skills other than those valuable in a factory most men took their families to port cities such as New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston where there was a large number of manufacturing jobs. Within these cities, specifically New York City there was a clear distinction in social class which caused a problem with gangs to arise. These individuals with similar backgrounds are what made up the different gangs for the sole purpose of protection and survival because they were often second class citizenship who were trying to make a life for themselves that was better than what they once had. Crime was very popular amongst these gangs because they saw it as a way to get ahead. During this time period the tension between the immigrant and native gangs began to grow and the Irish were the dominant force followed by the Welsh, Italian and Jewish gangs. As a whole the strength of a group of people in the major cities was reflected through their gang and the public displays of violence and wreaking havoc on

With the rise of the gang powers came a great deal of political corruption. One of the larger groups of people who immigrated was the Irish, and the neighborhood in which they settled in was referred to as Five Points. Many of the other groups of immigrants perceived the Irish to be criminal by nature and the harsh conditions as well as high crime rate only added to the perception. Both the British and the Dutch who were originally born in the United States were not very fond of these new arrivals and saw them as a threat. William Cutting who is best known on the streets as “Bill the Butcher” due to his superior knife skills get his fellow native British and Dutch to form a gang that will take on the Irish. As a result of the “Natives” trying to take on the Irish, the Irish were compelled to form a gang of their own. Lead by Priest Vallon was “The Dead Rabbits”. The conflict arises when a bloody clash takes place between the two rivaling gangs and Vallon is left for dead and his son goes missing. His son Amsterdam didn’t actually go missing but went to a very strict reform school, years later in 1862 he returned to Five Points. Amsterdam who was now an adult and experienced in fighting was prepared to seek revenge on “Bill the Butcher”, a man who helped in the killing of father and since then has risen up as a