Immigration - film

Around the 1850s, many immigrants came to the United States for various reasons. These people were mostly of Chinese and European descent. People of Irish and German descent comprised nearly seventy-five percent of immigrants. 

In the movie “Gangs of New-York," the viewer follows the story of one Irish immigrant trying to succeed in a segregated environment. Throughout the 19th century, America had come to represent a new beginning for immigrants.

 As early as the 1840s with the discovery of gold in California, immigrants had come to the US to improve living conditions and make a new start. The United States was a developing nation and immigration meant more voters. Politics in New York became corrupt as politicians paid immigrants to vote. At this time, New York was not a peaceful city because of all the gangs. 

Thefts, murders, acts of racism, and brawls were common in everyday life in the city. We can see several examples of this violent behavior throughout the film. This movie shows how immigrants were disadvantaged by their nationality. Since the majority of immigrants traveled through New York, the viewer can see how native New Yorkers reacted to foreign immigration.  

To conclude we can say that in 1850s the life of immigrants in the US was not easy despite their efforts to integrate. However, Americans today are much more tolerant and immigrants make up over 20 percent of most American cities. 

Paul & Thibault