Gangs of New York had many stars in it, including Leonardo DiCaprio. It is the story of the rivalry between gangs located in the Five Points of Manhattan which is in downtown Manhattan. Many of the fights were between Tammany Hall and the Know-Nothing Party. These two organizations used gangs to promote their endeavors and turn a profit.
The movie depicted “Boss” Tweed as the head of Tammany Hall. As we spoke about in class Tweed was a master of deception. He told voters to vote for him for jobs and advantages, an activity which most politicians would never say out loud to anyone. He held many positions in politics and used his positions to make more money. For example, he charged the public 10x the actual amount to create the New York City courthouse.
I found the video of “Boss” Tweed on youtube for those of you who want to watch it. It is very informative and easy to understand:
