The Five Points : perceptions and practicalities of Irish American and African American interracial relationships in mid-nineteenth century New York City / Catherine Robertson.
The Five Points, arguably the worst slum in New York City during the nineteenth century, was the center for the city's worst perceived societal crime: living, marital and sexual relationships between races. The increased numbers of Irish immigrants in the Five Points neighborhood, traditionally...
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| Corporate Authors: | , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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2013.
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| Summary: | The Five Points, arguably the worst slum in New York City during the nineteenth century, was the center for the city's worst perceived societal crime: living, marital and sexual relationships between races. The increased numbers of Irish immigrants in the Five Points neighborhood, traditionally an African American locale, forced both groups to live together in squalid housing with high competition for employment. Members of White New York Society, specifically the founders of the reform institution known as the Five Points Mission, published literature which highlighted the negative aspects of interracial mixing. At the same time, African American intellectuals like Dr. James McCune Smith and Frederick Douglass were focused on supporting interracial relationships. These men believed that diversity was a major stimulus for cultural advancement. They also believed that the similarities of oppression in both Irish American and African American history might propel those groups to aid each other in the quest for freedom and equality in the American racial hierarchy. Through close readings of contemporary texts, I argue that Five Pointers formed relationships based on trust, loyalty and neighborly compassion, rather than on socially constructed racial fictions. I demonstrate that the Irish and African American inhabitants of the Five Points area of New York City had a perspective on interracial relationships which conformed much more closely to that of pro-interracial African Americans and which consequently contributed to their relative safety during a time of dangerous rioting. |
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| Physical Description: | 68 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-68). |