Jan
27
2003
If you've seen Martin Scorcese's new film Gangs of New York and you're interested in the history of the Five Points neighborhood in lower Manhattan, there's some pretty good web resources out there. A site hosed on a U.S. Government server has a map of the neighborhood and features information on a 1991 excavaction of the Foley Square Courthouse, which stands right on Five Points today. For more in depth studies, I recommend the books Five Points: Five Points: The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood that Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum, a lucid history of the area told with modern hindsight, and the original Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury, colored unfortunately but the muckracking press of the time.
Another great book on lower Manhattan scum and villiany is Low Life by Luc Sante. Sante is mostly an essayist ond book reviewer but he turns brilliant historian in this examination of the slime on the nose of the skunk (look at a map of Manhattan. It looks like a skunk hung up by its tail). I used it quite a bit in my master's thesis.
Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times edited by Kevin Smokler
The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles edited and compiled by Jeff Martin. Essay by me on page 45.
Cool info. What was your master's thesis on?
Posted by: Matt | January 28, 2003 at 03:11 PM
My master's thesis was on Weegee, a depressio era tabloid photographer in New York City. Hence, i did a lot of research on tablod topics such as murder and sin to support my assertion about Weegee, his life and work, and the nature of 1930's masculinity.
Posted by: Kevin | January 28, 2003 at 03:15 PM
Here's a link to a pivotal part of the Draft Riots not covered by Scorsese(http://blackhistory.harpweek.com/7Illustrations/CivilWar/ColoredOrphanAsylum.htm) and a link to a better movie (http://www.cidadededeus.com.br/).
Posted by: Ed | January 28, 2003 at 05:04 PM
Is your masters thesis public? Can it be read online somewhere? My curiosity is very high on what it looks like...
Posted by: nels | January 28, 2003 at 08:37 PM
Not so far as I can tell. I just checked the library catalog at UT and no sign of it. I just spent 15 frustrating minutes at University Microfilm's web site and got nowhere. Sorry. What can I tell you about Weegee though?
Posted by: Kevin | January 29, 2003 at 10:52 PM
I'd also like to mention the song "Five Points" by Black 47. It actually doesn't tell you a whole lot (Ok, anything) about the neighborhood, but it's a pretty kicking song anyhow.
Posted by: Jer | January 30, 2003 at 11:49 AM
I must download that immediately. I didn't even know it existed.
Posted by: Kevin | January 30, 2003 at 02:46 PM
Hi, I'm writing a report on the gangsters of the twenties and the Five Points Gang came up a lot. Can you guide me somewhere for good sources and what their significance is in gangs today, or society today as a whole?
Thanks. (its a major research paper!!)
Posted by: Humza | March 17, 2003 at 06:02 PM
O ya also... can you give me some info on some other influencial gangs of the periord (WWI - Post WWI era) Thanks.
Posted by: Humza | March 17, 2003 at 06:08 PM
Humza,
I wish I knew. Have you started with the original Hubert Ashbury book and done google searches out from there?
Posted by: Kevin | March 17, 2003 at 08:58 PM