By: Michael Lee, Bryce Hurless, Billy Wood, Menwa, Jahred Morga
Irish Mob & Boston Organized Crime - Jahred
In the early 1800s, the potato famine hit Ireland hard. Many Irish immigrated to America in search of a better life. Unfortunately, many worked low-paying and dangerous jobs and were unable to settle in properly. In addition, many found the Irish to be unwelcome invaders. This was especially so in Boston, Massachusetts where the natives discriminated against the Irish immigrants. In response, the Irish formed groups to protect themselves, among other reasons, eventually leading to the Irish mobs. The activities of the Irish mob started out as smalltime stealing, pimping, and hiring out to ward bosses on election day. Some of the brighter ones moved to gambling such as cards, dice, and horse-racing. The Irish Mob was heavily supported in the background by the local tight-knit Irish communities. They could be found in places such as Boston and Chicago, where the Irish Mob (or some of the Irish gangs forming it) sometimes work with or against the Mafia. Eventually, the Irish Mob and the life of crime began to lose its appeal. As more and more Irish moved into the middle class and started going to college (and work legitimately for good wages), the Irish Mob began to lose its support network and opportunities and began to die out. Originally starting out as small time gangs that only fought for turf as an everyday routine, groups began to get more organized (and simultaneously more violent) as time passed. One of the earliest organized crime groups was the Forty Thieves, a mainly Irish-American criminal outfit, which originated in what once was New York’s Five Points, Manhattan back in the 1820s. This group is said to be New York’s first organized crime group. It catered to the needs of corrupt politicians in return for power and a glance in the other direction. The Forty Thieves also performed other criminal activities such as mugging and robbery. These Irish Gangs increasingly competed with other groups such as the Mafia and other ethnic criminal organizations as immigration to the United States increased in amount and diversity.