Gangs of New York

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217505/synopsis

“Gangs of New York”, a film directed by Martin Scorsese, is a film based in New York in 1846. The beginning shows Irish immigrants coming into America and William Cutting enlists the help of his fellow “Native Americans” to wage war against the intruders. Many of the British and Dutch citizens with old money who have been citizens for generations make their discontent for these new comers very noticeable. During this battle Bill kills the head of the Irish army Vallon. The movie moves along into 1862 as more Irish immigrants poor into America in hopes of achieving the American dream. Vallon’s son Amsterdam who was lost after his father was killed returns in hopes of exacting his revenge upon his father’s murderer. What the immigrants really arrive in is the middle of the civil war. The immigrants are given uniforms and guns as soon as they get off the boat and are enlisted in the Union Army. Amsterdam finds Bill and becomes very close to him without hi realizing who he is. Another Irish reveals his identity and plot to kill Bill and Vallon is given away. After a faulty attempt to get his revenge Vallon is outcast and forms his own rebellious force against the “Native Americans”. The final battle ends after the riot outbreak from the drafts causes the army to intervene. Vallon gets his revenge and the North wins the war ending the public freedom of the slave trade. Throughout the movie racism is extremely apparent against the Irish, Chinese and Black. This movie relates to Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United States”, chapter 2. Zinn discusses the history of racism in North America and how it plays a strong part in today’s society and ideals. The fact that Americans were not just racist against people of different colors but of people from anywhere other than the United States or Britain. The movie shows the racism and hatred to anyone that is not a native and the idea that they are not as important or pure as those who were there originally. The odd thing is that the people who were doing the discriminating were not even the first people here, but the Indians. Fortunately for almost all different ethnicities beside Indians and Blacks the oppression has been put to rest, though it took pain suffering and on many accounts needless deaths, the equality many Irish enjoy now is because of the battles their ancestors had to fight. The history of oppression goes much further back than the Irish immigration but this point is a crucial time because it is the start of freedom for at least one group of people and is really the first time a group has ever been released from their oppression. Even women are still oppressed in corporate America; though it’s not as noticeable it is still there. This movie gave a strong image about the pain and suffering that the Irish went through and how they were oppressed just for where they hailed from.