by Dwalin2014 » Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:03 am
I have been lately reading about gangs in American cities at the end of the XIX century and the very beginning of XX, especially about the gangs in Chinatowns in San Francisco and New York. I am asking myself: how much power ethnic minority gangsters had at that time when there was still much racism and slavery was abolished only not so long ago?
Just to make an example: if a very rich and powerful Chinese-American or African-American gangster at the end of the XIX century tried to extort money from a small-time "white" merchant (Anglo-Saxon maybe), what would have happened? If the judge at the trial wasn't a honest one, would he have followed "racial" sentiments and defended the small-time white merchant or would he have been influenced by money, power and connections of the ethnic gang boss? What was more important in society in the 1880-1890s: racism or power/money? What would have prevailed in your opinion?
I have been lately reading about gangs in American cities at the end of the XIX century and the very beginning of XX, especially about the gangs in Chinatowns in San Francisco and New York. I am asking myself: how much power ethnic minority gangsters had at that time when there was still much racism and slavery was abolished only not so long ago?
Just to make an example: if a very rich and powerful Chinese-American or African-American gangster at the end of the XIX century tried to extort money from a small-time "white" merchant (Anglo-Saxon maybe), what would have happened? If the judge at the trial wasn't a honest one, would he have followed "racial" sentiments and defended the small-time white merchant or would he have been influenced by money, power and connections of the ethnic gang boss? What was more important in society in the 1880-1890s: racism or power/money? What would have prevailed in your opinion?