five points neighborhood

Though it was a racially and ethnically mixed neighborhood in the beginning of the 18th century, by the 1850's it was predominantly Irish. It was described by middle class reformers of the day as an area of unpaved streets and wooden shacks inhabited by what they characterized as thugs and prostitutes.

The study of Five Points has a strong historical connection to the study of the nearby African Burial Ground. Many of the African/ African-American residents of Five Points at the turn of the nineteenth century belonged to the same community that used the African Burial Ground during the 1700's. As such, they represent the immediate descendants of the Africans buried in the burial ground.