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TITLE (EDIT)
The Five Points |
DESCRIPTION
The old rookeries and dilapidated shanties that formerly abounded in the vicinity of the Five Points and Cow's Bay in the Sixth Ward were the resort and refuge of a desperate class of criminals. This narrative covers those years in that notorious district in 19th century Manhattan.
[897 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
History |
AUTHOR
Gregory J Christiano |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
I was born in NYC 1947, lived in the Bronx till I got married and moved to Jersey in 1979. I was raised Roman Catholic and went to Catholic grammar and High School. Graduated with BA from Central University of Iowa. Worked in Manhattan most of my career. Presently I am a Claims Adjuster for a service company in the city.
I have only been writing seriously for the past three years, but am published in various nostalgia magazines, have won some awards on line and was awarded the coveted Halpern Memorial Award for best narrative for the Fall 2002 issue of the Bronx County Historical Society Journal. I also have several of my poems published in anthologies. Two short stories will be published at the end of this year.
I will submit essays, historical articles, short stories, and poetry. Looking forward to reading and commenting on the works of fellow authors at this site.
[December 2004] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (14)
A Death In The City (Poetry) It is a painful and tragic event when a parent must bury their child. [241 words]
Card Sharps (Short Stories) The poker game grew heated. The cheated card player lay dead on the floor! [1,309 words] [Crime]
Dancing With A Stranger (Poetry) It's a Make Believe Ballroom - when two stangers meet and fall in love! [312 words] [Drama]
Invisible Universe (Novels) Suppose our science was able to shrink a man into a sub-atomic level. What would he find there, and wouls his journey ever end? This is a story of one such traveller and his adventures into that rea... [2,651 words] [Science Fiction]
Invisible Universe - Chapter Ii - First Contact (Novels) The sub-atomic traveller, attacked by a microscopic life-form fell into the abyss. The adventure continues. [2,184 words] [Science Fiction]
Invisible Universe - Chapter Iii - Myth! (Novels) The lonely traveler continues his journey, ever downward, into vast and endless universes. [2,315 words] [Science Fiction]
Lenny's Last Jump! (Short Stories) Two gangsters out for a night’s work, but they’re in for a surprise! [880 words]
Lincoln Past (Poetry) To the honor of one of our greatest Presidents. [107 words] [Biography]
The Last Full Measure (Essays) Abraham Lincoln on his way to address the crowd at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetary. This has to be one of the greatest speeches ever presented by a head of state! [1,441 words] [Biography]
The Lonely Lighthouse (Poetry) Lighthouse keepers and their wives have an isolated life...most of the time cut off from the mainland. It is a constant struggle to combat loneliness and its effects! [382 words] [Adventure]
The Ninth Avenue El (Essays) Rapid Transit had been a top priority for the city fathers in mid 19th Cenbtury Manhattan. The first elevated railway was a failure but the idea was sound. Once the overhead trains were run by stea... [3,038 words] [History]
The Old Salts And The Sea (Poetry) A shanty to the countless sailors that perished at sea! [205 words] [Adventure]
We Attack At Dawn! (Short Stories) Toward the end of WWII, an army platoon encouters German resistance. [1,391 words] [History]
Who Is The Hero? (Short Stories) Schoolyard bullies have always intimidated their classmates. But what if a boy refuses to fight back? Is he a coward or a hero? [1,534 words] [Motivational]
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The Five Points
Gregory J Christiano
The name Five Points, in nineteenth century New York City, evokes images of
poverty, rampant crime, decadence and despair. It was a lurid geographical
cancer filled with dilapidated and unlivable tenement houses, during a time of
gang extortion; corrupt politicians, houses of ill-repute, drunkenness and gambling.
This was a place where all manner of crimes flourished; the residents terrorized and
squalor prevailed. Such was the setting over most of the nineteenth century, from the
1830’s through the 1880’s after which these slums were torn down.
This district, known as the Sixth Ward, was bounded south by Reade Street, west by
West Street, north by Canal Street, east by Broadway. The Five Points derived its
name in the 1830’s from the convergence of the intersection of five streets:
Mulberry, Anthony (now Worth Street), cross, (now Park St.), Orange ( now
Baxter), and Little Water Street (which no longer exists). This neighborhood was
built over what was known as the Collect Pond, a marshy swampland north of the old
Court House. The scene is set for the appearance of the first ghetto in America.
When the landfill started to decay in the 1820’s the wood frame houses began to tilt
over and sink. Certain areas of Manhattan Island are not suitable for erecting tall
structures because there is no bedrock to support them. This was the case in the
Canal Street area. (If you take time to look at the Manhattan skyline, you will notice
how the taller buildings are clustered together in particular areas while other areas can
only support smaller buildings).
The Collect Pond area became infested with mosquitoes and disease; the decent
residents moved out and those who remained became impoverished and victims of
the slumlords, gangs and ruthless politicians. Personal safety was compromised and
everyone was under constant threat of being conned, robbed or worse! Beginning
with the Old Brewery, a building that was converted to an apartment house, the floors
were partitioned into small flats, rented to the poor and other seedy characters. Each
room had entire families living, cooking, eating and sleeping in this one room. It was
definitely a ghastly sight with such squalid living conditions. The same situation
prevailed throughout the district housing, the lower floors usually reserved for
drinking, dancing, gambling and riotous behavior.. Many people were robbed, beaten
or shanghaied. In the cellars (the people were called “cellar dwellers”) were the
“ oyster saloons,” which were kept open all night, luring fresh, unsuspecting victims.
This neighborhood was a very dangerous place to live and visit.
The many dancehalls brought together the Irish and African-Americans, both having
a large population in the district. A combination of the Irish Jig or Reel and the
African-American Shuffle, created a new dance form – Tap Dancing! This became
an extremely popular trend and forever was ingrained in American culture as a new
art form. As to stuffing ballot boxes and stealing elections, the politicians in this
Ward were expert and notorious. The Five Points (Sixth Ward) had a reputation for
casting more ballots than eligible voters. Some names used had been from people
who had been dead for decades!
Over the course of time the neighborhood changed. It was exceedingly bed in the
1830’s and 40’s until Protestants made inroads to clean up the area in the 1850’s.
By 1860, Five Points was a little less violent, but still a revolting slum. Abraham
Lincoln visited the area in 1860 and reluctantly gave a speech to some school
children. He, as well as Charles Dickens, who also visited the area in 1842, were
both appalled at the abject poverty and terrible living conditions. But these
conditions improved only to crumble again in the 1880’s with the influx of Italian
and Chinese immigrants. By 1897 the area houses had all been demolished and the
district took on a whole new appearance, and for the better.
Martin Scorsese’s film, The Gangs of New York, captures the very essence of the
period between 1846 and the New York draft riots of 1863. But this is more than
’make believe’ history. Scorsese’s story is based on hard facts and most of the story
line holds to the real history of the period. The characters were composites of
historical figures, for instance, Bill “The Butcher” Cutter (played by Daniel Day-
Lewis), the Protestant leader of the Nativists, was actually Bill “The Butcher” Poole
who was assassinated in 1855, many years before the riots. There was a gang called
the Dead Rabbits, and other gangs accurately portrayed in the movie, but the
character of Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) was obviously fictitious. However
that masterful scoundrel William “Boss” Tweed (played by James Broadbent) was
true to character. Tweed was the Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall and had the
reputation as one of the most corrupt politicians in New York City history.
The movie depicted the times accurately, creating the proper atmosphere and showing
the desperate plight of the free African-Americans already living there, and the newly
arrived immigrants hoping to find paradise, only to be thrown into a world of racism,
religious bigotry and social rejection. The film presented a great sense of what life
was like in that part of town and how it differed from the uptown rich and middle
class. To many uptown New Yorkers no one was considered to be ‘respectable,’ if
they came from the Five points. But, multi-ethnic America was born out of that slum.
By the turn of the century this neighborhood faded into memory. (The very last scene
in The Gangs of New York demonstrates how the city changed over the decades
following these events and how memories are lost to time). There is still a strong
lesson to be learned here.
________________________________
THE END
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2003 Gregory J Christiano |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
December 2004 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2114
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