Problems With Law and Order Flashcards
what were the new towns created by railroads known as?
hell on wheels
why did cow towns lead to lawlessness?
cowboys would often celebrate after months of hard work to get the cattle to the town - they would drink, gamble and fight
what happened to a sign banning guns in abilene?
it was shot so full of holes that it could no longer be read
who was Thomas Smith?
hired as town marshal of abilene in 1870
what did smith issue?
a ban on guns
what did smith do to cowboys who disobeyed him?
knock them out
what happened to smith?
he was shot and killed with an axe while trying to arrest a suspected murderer
who was then appointed town marshal of abilene?
wild bill hickok
why was hickok sacked?
he did little to enforce the law and spent most of his time gambling in saloons
how did the civil war cause lawlessness in the west?
arrival of large numbers of ex soldiers after the war who formed gangs
who were the reno gang?
a group of civil war deserters, co men and thieves
what did the reno gang do in 1866?
carried out a train robbery
how much money did they steal?
$16,000
who was hired to hunt down the reno gang?
the pinkerton national detective agency
when did the gang strike again?
1867 and 1868
how much money did their 4th train robbery gain them?
$96,000
what happened to the reno gang?
one member was caught and gave up the others in return for a reduced sentence - they were lynched
how did the gold rush cause lawlessness?
the development of mining towns by prospectors
what was salting a claim?
putting flakes of gold onto rocks to trick inexperienced miners into buying them
what was claim jumping?
stealing peoples claims
who was billy the kid?
an american outlaw who participated in the lincoln county war of 1878
how did the geographical location of the west cause problems with law and order?
vast and sparsely populated meaning it was easy to get away with crime
transport was very slow
what political factors encouraged lawlessness?
shortage or reliable law officers in new mining towns
politicians would not pay to employ new officers
what social conflict was there?
between ethnic groups - racism
civil war soldiers found it difficult to adjust back to normal life
conflict between southern and northern ex soldiers
what economic factors caused lawlessness?
lots of people trying to make money
competing groups
how did values and attitude encourage lawlessness?
it was your own responsibility to sort your own problems out
many carried guns
if you shot a man in self defence you did not break the law
who were the vigilantes?
people who took law into their own hands
what did the vigilantes do to suspected criminals?
drove them out of town and lynched them
what was the problem with the vigilantes?
they sometimes accused innocent people
what were road agents?
gangs of criminals who waited along roads to rob people
when was the san Francisco crime wave?
1851
why did the crime wave start?
disappointed prospectors returned to the city and gangs too control of large areas
when was the chinese famine?
1852
what did the famine lead to?
20,000 migrants arriving in california which led to racism
how did travelling by horseback increase lawlessness?
news of a crime took a long time to reach law officers
what did the US government encourage white americans to do?
murder californian indians
when could a territory apply to be a state?
when it had a population of 60,000
when could a territory elect a sheriff?
when it had a population of 5000
what was the county sheriff responsible for?
law enforcement and tax collection
who ran the town/city jail?
the city marshal/township constable
what were militia units?
local men who were armed and managed law enforcement
what was the role of the grand jury?
investigate public offences and hand down indictments
