Gangs of New York helped me envision what it was really like to live in the Five-Points area, especially in respect to the gang activity, the bloodshed, the corruption and the sentiments that ran high during the draft riots. I also noted how the Chinese immigrants and the African Americans were treated during that time period. The video also brought to life a reenactment of the disgust and unwelcoming site that the Irish immigrants faced immediately upon arrival especially from the Nativist groups. To say the least, life was really rough back then. I felt as if, in that society, if one wasn’t important as “The Butcher” or Tammany, one’s life was almost replaceable. One could be living one day and be dead the next. Even if you were “The Butcher” or the strongest man in town, violence was so prevalent that no matter how important you were, death could be just right around the corner. I noticed how easily groups of uneducated people could be swayed to root for a certain cause. In many instances in the movie, the hordes were swayed by smooth talkers like “The Butcher” or were swayed by any party that promised to benefit them.