Laura Response
February 19, 2018, by Laura
Prior to this course, I never understood the gravity of tension that occurred between the varying occupants of New York during the 19th and 20th centuries. Moreover, I was completely unaware that the theatre played a crucial role in this tension, and the conflicts that occurred as a result of “theatre” were merely an excuse for the underlying conflicts of social class, nativism and immigration. Cliff mentions that as a result of the rise of gangs and immigrants, the elite members of New York City invested in a high-class theatre- The Astor Place Opera House. Cliff goes on to explain that the Astor Place Opera House adopted the European custom and allowed for the elite to “retain boxes for the season: they had replaced the entire pit with a parquetted of armchairs which could be purchased only by subscription.” (204) Surely, this level of exclusivity and exclusion based on social class would never be accepted in New York today, and it is clear to me that this sort of institution would wreck havoc over the society of the 19th century.
Although the feelings do not match in terms of rage and aggression, I believe that the aggravations of the nativists that Cliff mentions, and the frustrations of “true” New Yorkers are alike. The immigrants essentially drove the nativists crazy- the arrival of people from overseas frustrated those that already resided here to the point of bloodshed. Although I am not certain which aspects of the immigrants so frustrated the nativists, I can imagine that the “true” New Yorkers were fed up with how much the immigrants failed the blend in. Similarly, it is widely known that New Yorkers have little to no tolerance for people who are not quite as “New York” as they are. Those who feel that this city is theirs do not tolerate people who do not know where they are, cannot keep up with the pace of New York City, and who stick out like a sore thumb. To this day, we lack an acceptance of newcomers, which can clearly be traced back to 19th century New York society.
I found that the second reading for today was extremely shocking. Until reading Cliff’s “America Rules England Tonight!” I had no clue just how violent the mobs of New York were. Furthermore, I had never considered that the police and the military were involved, and that their rankings were not acknowledged whatsoever. Out of all the chaos that I learned of during this reading, for some reason, Cliff got me even more intrigued by Ned Buntline. I cannot put my finger on what type of man he truly is. He is portrayed to be extremely laissez faire in his personal life, yet extremely determined and passionate when it comes to his work and his beliefs. At times he seems brave, but after this reading, I believe that Buntline, in reality, is a coward. When Buntline realizes that he is being watched by a policeman, he automatically turns to his brother in law to take his sword, for “they will not arrest you- but they may me- you take the sword” (221) A stronger man would have fought for himself and taken the fall, yet Buntline does not hesitate to blame somebody else and run free. Lastly, when he is finally arrested, he tries to get off by mentioning his pregnant wife. When he left his house, Cliff made sure to note that Buntline did not care that he upset his wife, who was carrying his child at the time. However, in a moment of desperation to break free from arrest, Buntline cries “my wife is about to be confined.” (223)
The readings for this week shed light on the frustrations and level of violence of the time period, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning the truths of New York in the 19th century.