In the 19th century, overcrowded immigrant areas in several eastern American cities gave rise to the first youth gangs. As the country developed from an agrarian to an industrial society, low-income farm workers from southern and southwestern States headed north and west, creating in more cities the same negative effects: overcrowding, deteriorating conditions, poverty and gangs. The book discusses whether the existence of gangs in the United States is a serious problem, the factors that encourage gang behavior, and how gangs can be eliminated. Individual sections propose and discuss the following: (1) savagery and violence are inherent in gang life; (2) gang violence is overblown by the media; (3) gangs are active in business and the military; (4) gangs are not confined to urban areas; (5) young people join gangs to find a family, to gain respect, to become wealthy; (6) Federal and local law enforcement must get tough on gangs; (7) gangs do not need to be eradicated; (8) gang communities themselves can eradicate gang violence; and (9) schools can solve the gang problem. The book includes study questions based on the material presented. Notes, figures, appendixes, references, bibliography, index