If you’ve watched Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, you probably remember the scene where Daniel Day-Lewis, playing the terrifying William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting, stands draped in a tattered, aggressive-looking American flag. It’s a striking image. It’s also kinda confusing if you don’t know the history. Most people see that flag and assume it’s just a standard Old Glory with some movie grit on it.
But it’s not.
The bill the butcher flag—or more accurately, the banner of the nativist movement he represents—is a piece of political propaganda wrapped in stars and stripes. Honestly, the real story of that flag is way weirder than what you see on screen. It wasn’t just about being "patriotic" in the way we think of it today. It was a weapon used by a group of people who called themselves "Native Americans," though they definitely weren't Indigenous. They were white, Protestant, and they hated everyone else.
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The Flag That Claimed a "Native" Title
In the film, Bill the Butcher is the leader of the Natives. When he carries that flag, he’s making a claim to the land. But here’s the thing: the real-life Bill the Butcher, a guy named William Poole, was a kingpin for the "Know Nothing" party.
They used a specific version of the American flag that featured some pretty aggressive slogans. You might have seen replicas of it online. They usually say something like: "NATIVE. AMERICANS. BEWARE OF FOREIGN. INFLUENCE."
The irony is thick enough to cut with one of Bill's cleavers.
These guys were the children of British colonists. They weren't "Native" in any modern sense of the word. They just happened to be born in the U.S. and felt that gave them the right to kick out the "foreigners"—which, back in the 1850s, mostly meant the Irish and the Germans.
Why the N's are backward
If you look closely at historical artifacts of this flag, you’ll notice something strange. The letter "N" is often printed backward. Like this: AMERICAИS.
There are a few theories about why. Some historians think it was just poor printing by local shops. Others, including some experts on 19th-century political ephemera, suggest it was a deliberate, snide jab at "foreign" alphabets (like Cyrillic), basically mocking the way immigrants spoke or wrote. It was a visual way of saying, "You don't belong here, and your way of life is backward."
It’s petty. It’s aggressive. It’s perfectly Bill the Butcher.
What the Bill the Butcher Flag Represented in Five Points
Manhattan in the 1860s was a nightmare. The Five Points neighborhood was a literal slum built on a swamp. You had the Dead Rabbits (the Irish gang) on one side and the Bowery Boys (Bill’s guys) on the other.
The flag wasn't just a decoration. It was a boundary marker.
When Bill the Butcher’s gang marched under that flag, they were signaling that the Bowery was Protestant territory. It stood for:
- Anti-Catholicism: They genuinely believed the Pope was trying to take over America.
- Nativism: The idea that if you weren't "Old Stock" American, you were a threat.
- Political Muscle: This flag was the symbol of the American Party (the Know Nothings), which actually became a huge political force for a minute.
The movie version of the flag is often shown as being more "primitive" or handmade. Scorsese wanted it to feel like it was born out of the mud and blood of New York. In reality, the banners used by the Bowery Boys were often professionally made because they had the backing of wealthy politicians who wanted the Irish vote suppressed.
Fact vs. Fiction: Did the real Bill have a flag?
Let’s get one thing straight: William Poole died in 1855. The movie moves the timeline to the 1863 Draft Riots for dramatic effect.
Did the real Bill have a specific flag he carried into battle? Probably not a single, personal cape. But his funeral was one of the biggest New York had ever seen. Thousands of people showed up. His coffin was literally flag-draped, and the hearse was emblazoned with his alleged final words: "I die a true American!"
That's where the legend of the bill the butcher flag really starts. He became a martyr for the nativist cause. The flag became a symbol of his "sacrifice" for a version of America that only included people who looked and prayed like him.
The Flag in Modern Pop Culture
Today, people buy this flag as a piece of movie memorabilia. It’s popular in man caves or as a "bad guy" aesthetic. But it’s worth remembering that for the people living in the Five Points in 1860, that flag was a symbol of impending violence.
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It wasn't a "cool" movie prop. It was a warning that a riot was coming.
If you’re looking to understand the nuance here, you have to look at the "Dead Rabbit" standard too—a literal dead rabbit on a pike. The two symbols together show just how tribal New York was. It wasn't about the United States as a whole; it was about which street corner you could walk down without getting your head cracked open.
How to Spot a "Gangs of New York" Era Flag
If you’re a history buff or a collector, you should know that real 19th-century nativist flags are incredibly rare. Most "Bill the Butcher flags" you see today are based on the movie's production design.
- Star Pattern: Real flags from the 1850s didn't have the 50 stars we have now. They usually had 31 or 32, often arranged in a "Great Star" pattern (the stars themselves forming one big star).
- Material: They weren't nylon. They were heavy wool or silk.
- The Text: If it has the "Beware of Foreign Influence" quote, it’s a political banner, not a standard ensign.
The movie version uses a lot of tea-staining and artificial weathering to make the flag look "tough." It’s a great aesthetic choice by the costume department, but the real Bill Poole probably kept his banners clean. He was a dandy—a guy who took pride in his appearance and his status as a "gentleman" of the Bowery.
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Next Steps for History Fans:
To see the real-world impact of these symbols, you should look up the 1844 Philadelphia Nativist Riots. That’s where these flags first gained their bloody reputation. If you’re ever in New York, visit the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. You can find William Poole’s grave there. It doesn't have a giant flag over it anymore, but the history is still very much alive in the soil. You might also want to check out Herbert Asbury's original 1928 book, The Gangs of New York, to see how much of the "flag culture" was exaggerated for the silver screen.