Gangs in The United States - Original Gangsters

Original Gangsters

With the exception of American cowboys, bandits, gunfighters/gungslingers and outlaws such as Jesse James, in addition to the Italian American Mafia (mobsters of organized crime) such as Al Capone, some of the original gangsters in America were the Irish Mob. Immigrants formed various gangs on the East Coast in 1783 following the American Revolution. The first recorded street gangs in the United States, such as the 40 Thieves, began around the late 1820s in New York City.

Other major gangs beginning before the 19th century were the Whyos and the Dead Rabbits. These were followed by the Italian Five Points Gang and later a Jewish gang known as the Eastman Gang. Additionally, in the late 1800s, many Chinese eventually emigrated to the Eastern United States, escaping from insecurity and economic hardship at home. The new immigrants formed Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. In some cases these evolved into Tongs, or criminal organizations primarily involved in gambling. Members of Triads who migrated to the United States often joined these tongs.