1. Provide a synopsis of the film, paying particular attention to the main focus and key themes you feel this film explores,discuss the cultural clash between the Yankee Protestants and Irish Catholics during the antebellum era in the Lower East Side of New York City.
2. What are the major groups of this film and why are they so hostile toward each other?
3. What is the temperance law and how will it be enforced? Who is to do the enforcing and how do the Irish Catholics react to that enforcement by those outsiders?
4. How do the Irish Catholics respond to the teaching of Protestant ways? Why?
5. Sum up the key characteristics of the Irish Catholic household (all five members) of the film. Why were they all involved in the demonstrations (riots?) of July 4, 1857? What was at issue as far as they were concerned?
6. How would you argue the Irish Catholic point of view in terms of what they did as not being a riot but a defense of their turf? Give examples to support your analysis.
7. What have you learned about the life and struggles of Irish Catholic immigrants from this film? How were they different from other contemporary immigrant groups like the Germans and northern Italians or African Americans, for example? Why?
8. Why do you think this particular film would be a good one to watch to better understand the significance of both ethnicity and race in the antebellum era? How does this film help you better relate to being a minority in America? Explain.
