NYC Mob at its Finest
In Paul A. Gilje’s The Road to Mobocracy: Popular Disorder in New York City he discusses the purpose and significance of mobs dating back to the beginning of organized assembly. Nowadays, when most people hear the word “mob” they think of the Italian blockbusters such as Goodfellas and The Godfather. Gilje argued that rioters dating back to mid-eighteenth century Anglo-Americans assembled for reasons of their own, which I do believe to be true. He also stated that even though these original reasons for assembly may be for varied purpose, generalizations can be concluded (Gilje 17). “When the people assembled in the street in a riot, unspoken rules guided their collective behavior. In many cases, these rules provided a set form of popular ceremony and became a type of ritual” (Gilje 17). The mob when looked at under a microscope contained many different reasons for organization, but as a whole the mob breathed as one and followed the same ritual and ceremony.
Gilje’s argument that all mobs perform and orchestrate as one under common rules, rituals, and regulations holds true for a great deal in revolutionary New York. The change any type of revolution brings comes from people assembling for a common purpose. Revolutions of such magnitude can only be achieved with power in numbers, hence the logic behind mobs. This trend has continued from such early times mentioned by Gilje to even modern-day.
Gilje also mentions another reason for mob assembly- celebration. “On the King’ s Birthday, the anniversary of his coronation, the arrival of a new governor, and the celebration of a great military victory, patricians marched in processions, escorted by the army and local militia” (Gilje 17). The ritual of celebration via the mob has stayed consistent throughout the years of New York City history. The best example I can think of would be the parade celebration of the New York Yankee’s 2009 World Series victory. The parade consisted of a crowd of about two million people with one common goal- celebration.
This argument holds a lot of historical significance as it discusses one important fundamental unit of factions-Mobs, which help shaped the way for democracy to prevail. People of different areas of life having a common purpose and working together to raise their voices in the fight for freedom. This deserves a 10 on 10 as it gives a detailed knowledge on how interdependent groups formed in the years leading a newly formed NYC.
*correction
*the years leading TO a newly formed NYC