The Five Points Area In Mid 1800s

In the med 1800s Lower Manhattan was know as five points It was known for gangs and Irish immigrant It was give the name because it marked the intersection of three streets Anthony,cross, and orange which came together to form a intersection with five corners

 Irish immigrants living in five points dealt with inequality  Most of them came to New York to flee the great femine  Not only where they treated bad they had to deal with bad living conditions. Bad living condition Cause the spread of disease and illnesses around town

Great Famine The Great Famine was a turning point in Irish history. It changed the society forever, by greatly reducing the population. In 1841 Ireland's population was more than eight million. It has been estimated that at least one million died of starvation and disease in the late 1840s, and at least another one million emigrated during the Famine period.

Tenements & Living Conditions Tenements in the Five Points were made from wood and brick. These buildings were originally intended for artisans and shopkeepers businesses, and were meant to house their families By the 1850s, most of these "shops" had been carved into small apartments with space for a shop or saloon on the ground floor.

Conditions in these buildings were terrible. Rooms were windowless, Garbage-covered street. There was a lot of Prostitution, Gambling And Violence. In most of the apartments only one room had access to outside air, and the inner rooms were always dark and unventilated. Most tenements contained the dirty horrible living conditions with high death rates With such poor living conditions diseases spread quickly and easily Heating and cooking were done by wood or coal burning stoves. Water was obtained outside frozen in the winter. They use to heated on stove for bathing and washing dishes.

Infectious diseases such as cholera, yellow fever, typhus and tuberculosis where Spreading because of unsanitary conditions in the building In June 1832, an outbreak of cholera in Five Points spread rapidly throughout the crowded, unsanitary neighborhood helping the spread of diseases to the rest of New York City Infectious diseases

A large building which had been a brewery in colonial times was a notorious landmark in the Five Points. It was claimed that up to 1,000 poor people lived in the Old Brewery. It was said that many criminal activity were takening place including gambling and prostitution and illegal saloons. The Old Brewery was torn down in the 1850s, and the site was given over to a person whose purpose was to try to help neighborhood residents. The Old Brewery

Famous New York Gangs Called the Five Points Home Many street gangs where formed in the Five Points. The gangs had names like the Dead Rabbits, and they were known to occasionally fight battles with other gangs in the streets of lower Manhattan. The Dead Rabbits rival gangs were called the Bowery Boys The Dead Rabbits Riot was a two-day civil disturbance in New York City it started as a small street fight between members of the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys into a citywide gang war which lasted from July 4–5, Taking advantage of the disorganized state of the city's police force, brought about by the conflict between the Municipal and Metropolitan police, the fighting turned into widespread looting and damage of property by gangsters and other criminals from all parts of the city. It is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 gang members took part in the riots, along with several hundred others who used the disturbance to loot the Bowery area. It was the largest disturbance since the Astor Place Riot in 1849

The Dead Rabbits Riot

During “Draft Week” immigrants were drafted to fight in the American Civil War The Irish rebelled and as a result violent riots broke out in the area President Lincoln sent volunteer troops from Gettysburg to take control of the city Draft Week