The Gangs of New York

In Martin Scorcese's film, The Gangs of New York, there is a lot of violence. Of course that coincides with the time period: mid 19th century, right around the time of the Civil War. This is around the time where there are lots of Irish immigrants coming to America in search of jobs, opportunities, freedom, and a better lively hood.

Before watching this, I wasn't completely sure what the title meant by "gangs," because nowadays when people hear the word "gangs" they think of hoods, ghettos, violence, crimes, and territory... Well that is exactly what it was back then. Natural born Americans felt extremely threatened by the immigrants coming in and taking their jobs because they were willing to work for less.

Not to mention the fact that these Irish immigrants were also Catholic. Religion and ethnicity prejudices were extremely common, and the country was in turmoil. The United States didn't know what religion and ethnicity was superior... so why not be against all of them?

Don't forget about social status. That was very important during this time especially in politics, government, and industry. The immigrants weren't exactly part of the Elite or Upper Class, so they had to take backseats to the natural-borns. This didn't set well with them, and because it didn't set well with the immigrants, it didn't set well with the higher-ups.

I knew that the Civil War was going on and all of the stuff pertaining to that topic, but I was completely unaware at the hatred intertwined on the insides of the regions. Why would you fight your own people during this time, when you are supposed to be fight the other side (Union or South). This inspired lots of thinking as to whether there was inbred fighting down South. I could infer that the cause of this immigration hatred is tiredness of the war. People were probably very put out with the tariffs, acts, and battles at the time, but throw in some people that are taking your jobs and opportunities... That probably wouldn't set well with anyone.

If it weren't for Cameron Diaz (who I absolutely adore) and Leonardo DiCaprio (who I adore even more), I probably would have shut it off. They did an incredible acting job with their characters in such a violent and historical movie. I thought I was thrown in an APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) episode of "Boyz N Da Hood II," because the crimes, killings, and attempted murders were quite shocking. It had me thinking about how angry the country was back then. And it only picked up more as the war drug on and the New York draft riot started.

Plain and simple. This movie is an excellent portrayal of the emotional side of the American Civil War. It shows another side of it. They weren't at war with the South but with each other as well. I give it two thumbs up! (488)