The Dead Rabbits riot resulted from tension between two ideological groups, the Nativists and the urban immigrants. The riot itself stemmed from the conflict between two gangs, the Bowery Boys and the Dead Rabbits. The Bowery Boys were composed of “native” Americans who advocated for conservative, American ideals and did not want immigrant influences corrupting them, notably liquor. The anti-immigrant sentiment led to a violent clash with the Dead Rabbits who were composed of Irish gangmen. The Irish and the Germans, with their increased emigration to the states brought with them their drinking habits and made up the majority of New York’s taverns and bars. Because the Nativists disliked the culture and strong political power they were gaining, they sought to stifle their businesses and social gatherings by imposing laws on opening taverns on Sundays and raising the price of a liquor license, these immigrants’ most popular days. The police were puppets of the political machine, enforcing all the Nativist laws as they themselves were natives. Because of this oppression, Irish and Germans would lose business and the one place to gather for political and social recreation. Because the taverns were also a location for political gatherings, shutting them down was a way of hushing immigrant influence within New York.
Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York dramatizes this conflict, pitting the Nativists against the immigrants in a fight to the death. The scene, however, fails to take into account the tossing of projectiles at one another and the retreating between groups. In reality, many people denied the gang name “Dead Rabbits” entirely, saying no such gang ever existed.
These acts of racial violence usually occur from ingrained biases or prejudices within native groups and reinforce ideals which serve to maintain the status quo. Immigrant groups are often disbarred from voicing a strong opinion or, in the belief of native thought, have too strong of an opinion. I, myself have not witnessed such things but have made conclusions based on what I have seen in the news.
