A Gangs of New York Lesson Plan
‘America Was Born In The Streets.’


Grade Level: 9-12, college - Although the information provided in this lesson plan is appropriate for students from 9th-12th grade, only students over 17, or those with their parents permission, should watch Gangs of New York. This film contains high levels of violence and mature content and is rated R.

Subject: History, Language

Keywords: Lesson Plan, Movies in the Classroom, 1863, Civil War Draft Riots, New York City, Manhattan, immigrants, Irish, English, gangs, survival, equality, history, slang, New World, gang warfare, murder, riots, New World, dialects, street slang, Ellis Island, records, pictures, written accounts, newspaper clippings, predecessors, Veteran’s Memories Project, heritage, Irish Potato Famine, immigration, emigrants.

Author: Sarah Lane

Affiliation: ClassBrain, Inc.

Date: 28 February, 2003

Duration: 1 to 3 class periods

Background:
Gangs of New York takes place in New York City during the crescendo of the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots. In the midst of urban unrest, in a section of lower Manhattan called ‘Five Points’, a young Irish immigrant named Amsterdam Vallon returns from forced labor to avenge his father’s murder. He befriends an anti-immigrant English gang leader called ‘Bill the Butcher,’ who teaches him how to fight and shares his secrets for survival. When a face from the past remembers Amsterdam, it’s only a matter of time before his identity is revealed and sparks begin to fly. The movie’s premise is Amsterdam’s fight for redemption, personal survival, and a place for his people in the New World.


Objective:
Watch the film Gangs of New York, 2002, directed by Martin Scorsese. Complete one or more of the following projects in conjunction with the movie. This film is not recommended for younger viewers. Check the Suggested Book List for post film resources.


Resources and Materials
Gangs of New York (movie)
Gangs of New York - Suggested Book List
Excerpt from The Secret Language of Crime: The Rogue’s Lexicon
Internet Resources - Gang Warfare: Then & Now


Topics

LESSON PLAN
Gang Warfare - Then & Now

Have your students use the Internet Resources - Gang Warfare: Then & Now located in the Resources & Materials section of this Lesson Plan, as well as their own findings to write a ‘compare and contrast’ essay. Have them research the history of gang warfare in America versus present day gangs in the states. It’s a good idea to recommend three to five sources in addition to the Internet sites provided. Also recommended for this Lesson Plan is a book from the ClassBrain Suggested Book List called Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld.

� Miramax 2002

FILM FACTS: Gangs of New York

Genre(s): Action, Crime, Drama

Rating: R

Family Rating: kids-in-mind

Running Time: 166 minutes

Primary Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz

Director: Martin Scorsese

Music: Bono, Peter Gabriel, Howard Shore

Screenplay: Jay Cocks

Producers: (Primary) Alberto Grimaldi, (Associate) Gerry Robert Byrne, (Co-Producer) Laura Fattori

Studio: Mirimax Film Corporation


Related Internet Resources

www.gangsofnewyork.com