Ryan Bodine Five Points Few places in history have as notorious a reputation as the Five Points slum of 19th

Century New York City. It was as dangerously unlawful as it was interesting and cultural. Not only was Five Points Americas first slum, it was the birthing ground of Americas first gangs. The actions of these gangs and the politics of this region would change the face of the country in many ways. It was the source of Americas first true melting pot and was also part of one of the largest riots in American history. Although it is remembered as an infamous ghetto, without this key region in early America, much of the legislation thats taken for granted wouldnt be here today. The Five Points wasnt around in the early years of New York Citys

development. The city in the 1700s was a much smaller, more peaceful place. At the time, the area known as Five Points wasnt even land. In fact, it was a 48-acre natural water source known as Collect Pond. Collect Pond was used by the Native Americans as a food source before it was eventually bought by European settlers during colonization.24 After the founding of New York City, the pond was used largely for recreational purposes.2 There was swimming during the summer and iceskating during the winter. These were peaceful times. Eventually, the population of New York grew, and with it, the need for food and water. Collect Pond became so over-fished that the city passed restrictions on how many fish one could catch and banned certain fishing techniques.3 It became one of the citys main water sources, as well. In the early days of New York City, much of the residents got their water 1) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 2) Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York. Thunders Mouth Publishing, 1927 (5) 3) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012.

Ryan Bodine Five Points primarily from wells. But as the demand grew and the wells dried out, some of the first water companies were born. The Manhattan Water Company began construction of the citys first underground plumbing systems.4 The pipes coming from Collect Pond came to

provide water to many New York homes. This went on until Industrialization hit the city and the pond became polluted. Tanneries and breweries that were using the water of the pond for their production let their waste run back into the pond.25 The result was the water became undrinkable, and the area turned into a health hazard, so much so that cases of typhus and cholera spread throughout the city.6 After that, works to remove the pond and replace it with residential land began. Workers took three hills surrounding the pond and used them to fill in the hole.7 Over the next 8 years the area went from diseased pond to residential neighborhood.8 Middle-class families moved into the area, and, for a time, it was an ordinary New York neighborhood. What the residents didnt know, however, was that the filling in of Collect Pond had been done improperly due to the workers not completely closing the underground springs that fed it water.9 Eventually the houses built there began to sink into the earth, and the ground began to smell again. The houses were abandoned by the middle-class families that once resided there, and the citys poor

4) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 5) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 6) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 7) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 8) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 9) Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York. Thunders Mouth Publishing, 1927 (4)

Ryan Bodine Five Points and immigrant communities quickly moved in. This was the beginning of the Five Points slum. The slum was riddled with disease and poverty. The streets were filled with pig, horse, dog, cat, and human waste.26 With no plumbing, living conditions were

horrendously unsanitary. Ten to twenty people would often live in the same room.11 No one bathed, and the streets were often filled with dead bodies. The stench of the area would have been over-powering. Irish immigrants living there were lucky to find work, and if they did, it was grueling and came with little pay. Crime was rampant and often the only way to survive. Pickpockets were often women and orphaned children.12 With the population rising at extraordinary rates, it wasnt about to get better any time soon. Five Points was perhaps the most dangerous place in the world during the 1800s. Turning a wrong corner would lead to being robbed or even killed. Watchmen on the corner werent there to protect the poor; they were there to watch for fires (one of New Yorks greatest dangers at the time) and to keep the poor from robbing the rich.13 It was impossible to survive alone on the mean streets of Five Points. In order to survive, one had to be in a group that had each others 10) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 11) Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York. Thunders Mouth Publishing, 1927 (11) 12) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 13) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD

Ryan Bodine Five Points backs. Americas first gangs were created out of necessity. It wasnt long before there were hundreds of gangs buzzing about freely in the streets of New York. By 1855, an estimated 30,000 men in the city owed allegiance to some type of gang.27

They commonly fought with each other for territory rights, each trying to muscle the other away from potential moneymaking opportunities. Street brawls were commonplace. Gangs would fight each other with clubs, bricks, knives, fists, and whatever else they could find on the streets around them.15 At the center of gang violence were disputes between Native Protestant American gangs and Irish immigrant gangs. With thousands of Irish pouring into New York every week,16 the Natives quickly had a worthy adversary. Gangs at the time played vital roles in the community. They often settled disputes, loaned money, and protected certain property.17 They even became the citys unofficial fire stations. At that point in time, the city had no official fire department. The gangs saw this as an opportunity and created their own. They not only served as their own private social clubs, but there was also money to be gained.18 The city would pay a reward for the first fire company on the scene to put out the fire. After all, the houses were so close together that if one went up in flames and was left unchecked, it could burn the whole city down with it. Early fire 14) Willis, Clint. Crimes of New York. New York: Thunder Mouth Publishing, 2003 15) Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York. Thunders Mouth Publishing, 1927 (24) 16) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 17) Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York. Thunders Mouth Publishing, 1927 (138) 18) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD

Ryan Bodine Five Points departments were a disorganized mess. Often two departments would show up to put out the fire at the same time and would end up duking it out over who gets to put it out, while in the mean time, the building burned to the ground.28 It wasnt long before gangs became an important part of local politics. Politicians often recruited gangs as muscle in disputes and to enforce policies.20 It was also common to see gangs pulling in votes for certain parties and would often be seen at polls intimidating voters into voting their way.21 Voter fraud was also

commonplace. Using deceased names to vote and voting multiple times by changing their appearance after each vote, the gangs were able to control the citys legislation in their favor.22 Most of the politicians were crooks or gang members themselves. William M. Tweed, also known as Boss Tweed, was head of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Partys political machine that controlled the city during much of the 1800s. Tweed goes down in history as the most corrupt politician of all time.23 Stealing hundreds of thousands from public funds and using the citys gangs in his favor to manipulate the immigrant vote, Tweed was attempting to keep himself in office. He was eventually caught and arrested, but the citys corruption certainly didnt end with his arrest. 19) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 20) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 21) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 22) Willis, Clint. Crimes of New York. New York: Thunder Mouth Publishing, 2003 23) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD

Ryan Bodine Five Points

It was towards the beginning of the Civil War when New York City was finally brought to its boiling point. Lincoln implemented the nations first ever draft, calling for 300,000 men. Name after name was called, and with each name came outrage in the city. On top of this, the only way to get out of being drafted was to pay a fee of 300 dollars for someone to go in your place. This sparked outrage in the poor community, calling it a rich mans war and a poor mans fight.29 It was only two days after the first names were called that the riots began. The gangs of the Five Points were some of the firsts to rebel. It was the Black Joke Fire Company, a gang that had one of its members drafted, who began the riots by burning down the draft headquarters.25 The riots soon consumed the entire city. Buildings were burned and looted as the unorganized mobs vented their anger. The groups primarily targeted by the mob were African Americans, the rich, and the citys police.26 Police attempting to stop the mob were dragged into the streets and tortured. Most of the citys precincts were burned to the ground and their weapons looted.27 The rich were targeted not only for their homes, which were ripe for looting, but for their ability to skip the draft. African Americans were targeted, as well, for several reasons. Many of the immigrants saw African Americans as job stealers who would come to take their livelihood and lower their wages. Furthermore, the war they 24) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 25) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 26) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 27) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD

Ryan Bodine Five Points

were dying from was being fought for the very same African Americans who were in turn stealing their jobs. African Americans were dragged into the streets and lynched. In one particularly gruesome case, an African American was stripped down and then dragged through the street by his genitals.30 African American homes and establishments were burned. Nothing was off limits; rioters even burned down a colored orphanage, killing one little girl.29 It seemed almost impossible to regain control of the city. It wasnt until the army was called in, fresh from the battlefields of Gettysburg, that the riot came to an end. At first glance Five Points may seem like a place that needs to be forgotten by history. However, in the midst of the crime and corruption, social and political progress was made. Irish Americans at the time were an extremely hated minority. The power and influence they gained in the city through their gangs helped shape a new public view of Irish Americans. Many Irish Americans went on to become extremely influential politicians and journalists. Other political reforms took place after the draft riots, as well. New legislation was passed allowing for a long-term multi-payment way to pay the 300 dollars required to skip the draft.30 This allowed for poor immigrants to have the same opportunities as the rich. Even new housing legislation was passed in order to combat the horrible conditions in the slum. For example, residential buildings were now required to have windows and proper 28) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 29) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD 30) Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York, Harry Hanburry,(2002; New York) Discovery 2012. DVD

Ryan Bodine Five Points

ventilation. On top of all this, Five Points and its gangs are credited with causing the creation of the citys police and fire departments. The police, created out of necessity to fight the gangs, and the fire departments, created by the gangs themselves. Five Points remains, to this day, a melting pot of culture for New Yorks immigrants. Today, China-Town and Little Italy sit where the slums used to be. Theres a definite history and culture around the buildings there today.31 They are still New Yorks most diverse neighborhoods. Collect Pond is actually being rebuilt as a beautification project. Not only that, but the springs under the city are still to this day causing pavement to fail. 32 For better or for worse, Five Points made a definite impact in social and political policies today. It may have been dangerous, but those who were able to crawl out of the slum and make an impact defined the future of both New York and the rest of the country. Looking at history it seems Americans have learned from their mistakes for the most part. There are still slums and ghettos, however the living conditions of them are nothing compared to Five Points. Immigrants are still discriminated against, but immigrant rights are hot button issues in todays politics, and much progress is being made. Overall, the Five Points slums and the gangs that operated within them impact Americans to this day.

31) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012. 32) Collect Pond, Dan Kowalske, (2008; New York) Phalanx Film 2012.