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[[File:Gangs_of_New_York_Poster.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Gangs of New York]]__NOTOC__
The Gangs of New York is a vengeance drama. It is set in in the American metropolis before and during the American Civil War. The movie's focus is on the gangs that once controlled the Five-Points area of New York, which was a notorious slum. It follows the leader of a criminal gang which is tied to the political establishment in New York City. ‘Bill the Butcher’ played by the Anglo-Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis rules the Five-Points. The character is a ‘Nativist’ and wants America to remain a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant country. He despises the recent and numerous Catholic emigrants in New York.
====The Violence and the Gangs====
[[File: Gangs three.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Slum dwellers in the Five Points]]
<i>Gangs of New York</i> is a compromisingly violent movie, and it is typical of Scorsese’s oeuvre. Many commentators likened it to modern gangster movies. The motion picture focuses on the recurring fights and battles between the native gangs led by Bill the Butcher and the Irish gangs. <dh-ad/>At the start of the film, Bill the Butcher and his mob engage in a pitched street battle with the Irish gang led by the Priest Vallon. The gangs are shown to be armed with weapons such as swords and axes. In other violent incidents, throughout the movie there are many casualties and many fatalities. While, gang fights were very common in 19th century New York and indeed bar brawls were probably much more common than now. The level of violence is exaggerated, by Scorsese and there were very few gang battles as portrayed in the movie. There were only a few instances when guns and swords were used.
Even though Five Points was poor, it was not that violent and murder was rare. At this time there was hardly a murder a month in all of New York. New York is currently one the safest cities in the United States and it was probably even safer in the 1860s. The Rise of the Mafia and Prohibition led to a dramatic increase in violence that the city became famous for.<ref> Schneider, Eric C. Vampires, dragons, and Egyptian kings: Youth gangs in post-war (New York. Princeton University Press, 2001 ), p. 67</ref>
====New York City Draft Riots 1863====
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The climax of the movie is a vicious fight between Amsterdam and Bill the Butcher. This takes place during a riot by mainly Irish residents against the draft. The riot was a historical event, and it was one of the worst outbreaks of public disorder in the history of New York City. The New York City Draft Riots of 1863 were a violent expression of growing discontent among the poor and the working class. The economy of New York had suffered greatly during the war and unemployment was high and wages were low.
====How accurate is the movie====
<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'>====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====* [[How accurate is the movie The Aviator?]]* [[How Historically Accurate is the Outlaw King?]]* [[How Historically Accurate is season 3 of The Last Kingdom?]]* [[How historically accurate is the Medici Masters of Florence Series?]]* [[Is the movie Dunkirk historically accurate?]]* [[How historically accurate is the movie 'The Battle of the Bulge'?]]* [[How historically accurate is the movie 'Tora, Tora, Tora'?]]* [[How historically accurate is the movie 'A Bridge Too Far'?]]</div>While the movie is not generally regarded as one of Scorsese’s best, it is still highly rated by critics. Additionally, Daniel Day Lewis's portrayal of Bill the Butcher is one of the most fascinating and terrifying performances in cinema history. His performance alone makes <i>Gangs of New York</i> worth watching. Scorsese’s work also captures many of the issues of the time such as the tensions between natives and immigrants. It also manages to reconstruct the Five Points and gives the viewer a sense of this once infamous neighborhood.
However, there are many exaggerations and inaccuracies. These include overstating the violence that took place at the time in the Five Points. The nature of the gangs and their motivations is not portrayed particularly accurately. Additionally, all of the characters and gangs in the movie are all fictional. The most serious inaccuracy is the distortion of the Draft Riots of 1863. Hopefully, someone makes a movie that does accurately portray these riots. On this basis, it could be said that the movie does manage to capture something of the Five Points and its gangs but is not a realistic portrayal of New York in the 1860s.
====Further Reading====Dearstyne, Bruce W.Dearstyne, <i>The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State's History</i> (Albany: Excelsior Editions, 2015) Herbert Asbury, <i>The Gangs of New York</i> (New York, Garden City, 1928)
====References====
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[[Category:Wikis]][[Category:Historically Accurate]][[Category:United States History]][[Category:19th Century History]]
