Shirt Tails

Shirt Tails

The Shirt Tails were a mid-19th century street gang based in the Five Points slum in Manhattan, who wore their shirts on the outside of their pants as a form of insignia and as a sign of group affiliation. The Shirt Tails were as violent as they were slovenly. They kept their weapons—as many as three or four at a time—concealed beneath their shirts; this discreet measure stands in contrast to competing gangs who flaunted their weapons in order to intimidate.

Never numbering more than a few hundred members, the Shirt Tails, like many other gangs, disappeared shortly before the American Civil War (although they did participate in joining a coalition of gangs under the Dead Rabbits during the New York Draft Riots), with its remaining members dissipating or joining one of the other various gangs.

References

*Asbury, Herbert. "The Gangs of New York". New York: Alfred A. Knoff Inc., 1927. ISBN 1-56025-275-8


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shirt Tails — fue una banda callejera de mediados del Siglo XIX basada en el barrio marginal de Five Points en Manhattan. Como característica externa distintiva y para mostrar su afiliación al grupo, los miembros llevaban la camisa por fuera del pantalón. Los… …   Wikipedia Español

  • shirt-tail — shirt tails also shirttail N COUNT Shirt tails are the long parts of a shirt below the waist. He wore sandals and old jeans and his shirt tails weren t tucked in …   English dictionary

  • shirt tail — noun The longer flap at the back of a shirt • • • Main Entry: ↑shirt * * * shirt tail UK US noun [countable] [singular shirt tail plural shirt tails …   Useful english dictionary

  • shirt tail — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms shirt tail : singular shirt tail plural shirt tails the bottom part of a shirt worn inside your trousers, especially the longer part at the back …   English dictionary

  • Shirt — Charvet shirt from the 1930s, Norsk Folkemeuseum, Oslo. A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch all term for almost any garment other than… …   Wikipedia

  • shirt·tail — /ˈʃɚtˌteıl/ noun, pl tails [count] : the part of a shirt that hangs below the waist especially in the back usually plural His shirttails were untucked …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dress shirt — Charvet dress shirt from the 1930s, Norsk Folkemeuseum, Oslo. A shirt, or dress shirt in American English, (also button front, button down, or button up shirt) is a garment with a collar, a full length opening at the front from the collar to the… …   Wikipedia

  • boiled shirt —  Stiff white shirt worn with tails …   A concise dictionary of English slang

  • Charvet Place Vendôme — Type Privately held company Industry fashion Founded Paris, France 1838 (1838) …   Wikipedia

  • Bishop Kenny High School — Infobox HighSchool name = Bishop Kenny High School motto = [http://www.bishopkenny.org/Content.aspx?ID=905 Mission Statement Philosophy] established = 1952 type = Parochial city = Jacksonville state = Florida country = USA students = 1,450… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”