The Five Points Gangs

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at gangs in America starting with the most famous gangs of the 1800s. The paper then delves into the deeper issues about who is typically attracted to gangs, different aspects of gang culture, and the most common gang crimes. The paper also looks at notorious gangs that existed in the Five Points region of New York and explains that the film "Gangs of New York" in many ways misrepresented the criminal activities of the Five Points Gangs.

From the Paper:

"Unfortunately, gangs have been around on this earth as long as humans. In the 1800's, the United States was enthralled with the activities of gangs and gangsters such as the James Gang and Billy the Kid. As new immigrants arrived in America, the makeup of these gangs started to change. Irish gangs like the Whyos, Dead Rabbits and Plug Uglies, and Jewish ones including the Monk Eastman Gang, terrorized New York City streets. The most disreputable was called the Five Points Gang, because of its location in the Five Points Section or Bowery of Lower Manhattan. First led by Italian immigrant, Paolo Antonini Vaccarelli, the Five Points Gang later added such infamous hoodlums as Al "Scarface" Capone and Lucky Luciano. Today, the number of gang members in the U.S. is estimated at over one million. Although these groups are larger in urban areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, they are growing consistently in suburban locations as well. Many of these gang members are proud to consider themselves the mafia of the new millennium. Gangs often boast the largest numbers in poor areas, due to other social ills that go hand-in-hand with this poverty such as violence, substance abuse, low education attainment and psychological despair. Such characteristics surely sum up the Five Point Area in the late 1800s as well as parts of Los Angeles where gangs reap havoc today."

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