Five Points Primary Sources:
What instantly resonated with me, in regards to these sources, was the way that each of the 3 authors looked at the causes, effects and possible solutions (or lack thereof) to the situation in the Five Points Neighborhood.
Foster, in the first document, is astonishingly cavalier in his approach to the neighborhood. He deems the situation a "poison" of "moral insanity" where salvation is seldom seen. This poison flows from the inhabitants of the slums and thus, the world is of their own making. The individuals are responsible for their own suffering. The "Irish women", "Jew and Jewess", and the "Negro" are to blame. In this way, Foster promotes the social racism of the time. Despite the fact that those of Irish descent are of close relation to the Anglo-Saxon founders, that the Jews have a similar religious tradition, that "Negroes" are more free in the liberal north, these groups are vilified and blamed for the social conditions thrust upon them by prejudice and circumstance. While certainly racist, and maybe even horrifying to our standards, such ethnocentrism was the norm in the past. America is not known for it's complete understanding and tolerance, but rather it's bouts of conflict between groups, and eventual reconciliation. Such commentary could be compared to one of a Texas border city now where the Latin Kings reign supreme. What is disappointing however is that he offers no solution to the situation other than to warn fathers and such to keep their daughters away from the "damning drought of ambition". It seems almost as though he finds their squalid conditions a personal affront (almost like an old fashioned royal who gets annoyed at the peasant who had the gall to be run over by their carriage). It's for this reason that I find his commentary less useful in diagnosing the problem discussed, despite its lengthy description of the symptoms.
The article written by the Ladies of the Mission on the other hand care less about the specifics of the problem as a whole, and give a call to action to cure the disease. It is important to note that the source is most likely from a Catholic Nunnery. Women especially are well known for leading different social movements throughout American history. The temperance movement, women's suffrage, emancipation, even the equal rights movement of the 1960s and 70s have been categorized by woman instigation, if not leadership. The Ladies of the Mission make an emotional plea to the citizens of New York, with "tears of regret and shame", to help "the children!". The thing that I find interesting though is that the sisters don't care so much for the problem as a whole, but specifically for the next generation, that they would not have to live in the same deplorable conditions of their parents (or lack thereof).
The final article, written by Charles Dickens, is notable because it tells the story of Five Points through allegory. The men of the slums are "pigs" and "dogs" who either fight each other to survive or have already given up to live in their miserable existence. The thing about Dickens' writing however is that it invokes sympathy for the people he's writing about, rather than disgust in Foster or the Ladies who've given up on most of the inhabitants. It seems as if the situation has created the people, rather than the people creating the situation, and so they cannot be blamed for the conditions. This then leads to the question of "who is to blame?" which Dickens hints at answering as well. As with much of his work, Dickens calls attention to the "high society" part of the public to become accountable for their actions (or lack thereof, which is my new favorite phrase if no one's noticed yet) which helped to create the conditions in the first place.
My question to you is then, who is to blame for the situation at Five Points? Is it the inhabitants? The "Aristocrats" of New York? The Police? Someone else entirely? I hesitate to ask what a solution could be since history has already provided us with an answer, but given the context of the time, what could be done, and by whom?
Adios,
Jon
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