Gangs - an American Tradition

Modern media, designed for the entertainment of those of short attention span and bereft of historical perspective, would have its viewers, listeners and readers believe urban gangs are an impossible to understand and wholly new phenomena in America. In the process the media has created false racial stereotypical associations with gang formation and activity. In fact, a cursory review of the history of gangs in this country demonstrates that gangs have been prevalent from the outset of European/American culture and their origins are as white as the driven snow.

"Gang" is defined by the Random House Unabridged Dictionary as follows: "a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, esp. such a group engaging in delinquent behavior." Random House traces the origin of the word to Old English "manner of going, way, passage."

The Online Etymology Dictionary gives a similar origin, but a less negative meaning "a group of men, a set." Scholars note the word is used in 1627, sometime after its coinage, to connote "a company of workmen." By 1632 it had inherited a more irresponsible sense of "band of persons travelling together."

Thus, literally any group of people can qualify as a gang. But as we see through the etymology of the word itself, "gang" has taken on a criminal connotation in more recent times.

While criminal gangs have been present since time immemorial, the history of the United States of America has unfurled cheek-by-jowl with gangs. The abuses of unbridled capitalism have always kept an ample supply of disadvantaged, lower income classes roiling. Oftentimes they band together to survive by any means necessary. Such is a virtual certainty in a culture that has glorified the pirate, the outlaw, the rebel with no cause, the mafioso don, and finally the urban gang banger. Such homage to the outlaw gang has been a consistent theme of American media, literature, and art. To this day many municipalities throughout the Southern United States celebrate buccaneer days annually, lionizing historical figures such as the 19th century pirate Jean Lafitte.