Tackling Lawlessness in the Plains (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
Who Maintained Law and Order in the American West? - Summary
In the early settlements of the American West, maintaining law and order was a complex challenge. Both law officials and vigilantes played significant roles. The US federal government attempted to establish formal legal systems to administer justice. Law officials included sheriffs, US Marshals and deputies. They had responsibilities for upholding local laws, settling disputes and catching criminals. However, law officials faced numerous challenges in their efforts to maintain law and order. Without effective law enforcement, vigilante groups emerged. Citizens took matters into their own hands to address crime and punish criminals. They operated outside the established legal system. Their punishments, such as lynching, enforced their version of justice. Vigilantes were sometimes successful. Their actions often lacked accountability and fairness, leading to injustices and abuses of power. The rise of vigilance committees highlighted the issues of law enforcement in the American West. |
Federal Law Enforcement of the Plains
The federal US government controlled all territories in the West
A lot of factors impacted the level of law enforcement in each territory
Population | Law enforcement available |
|---|---|
Any size |
|
5,000 |
|
60,000 |
|
Exam Tip
Students often struggle to remember the difference between US Marshals and sheriffs. US Marshals policed districts and the federal government appointed them. Sheriffs governed counties and the people in the settlement elected them.
To understand this, you must also know the difference between a county and a district. A county is an area of a state larger than a city and has its own government to deal with local issues. A district is an area within a county, city or town that a government establishes for official business.
Problems with Federal Law Enforcement of the Plains
Vigilance Committees in the Plains
Vigilance committees became more popular after the 1850s
Crime waves, like the one in San Francisco in 1851, caused significant damage to communities
People began to get annoyed with the corruption of the legal system
Richer businessmen could not allow criminals to destroy their businesses
Vigilantes
Captured suspects
Put them on trial
Gave punishments to those they found guilty
In 1851, of 89 suspects:
Half were found not guilty
A quarter were deported
15 were turned over to law enforcement
The remaining were lynched
Assessment of Vigilance Committees
Positive consequences | Negative consequences |
|---|---|
A strong deterrent to other criminals | Often not a fair trial as their guilt was decided before the trial |
Some vigilantes used their power to settle scores. They became worse than the criminals |
Vigilantes in Mining Camps
Mining camps did not have access to a legal system
They were not considered to be settlements
Instead, mining communities:
Wrote their own rules
Chose a recorder to detail everyone's claim to land
Created their own court to judge disputes over claims to land
Mining courts had no power to tackle crime
Road agents and horse thieves got away with their crimes
Some communities elected sheriffs, but the problem of lawlessness was too big to tackle without help
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the US federal government for dealing with law and order in the West
8 marks
Partial answer:
The US federal government's methods of dealing with law and order were important because they created more issues with lawlessness (1). The government underfunded the legal system, meaning that law enforcement was a poor-paying job (1). This impacted law and order as the government struggled to recruit law officials. Another outcome was that sheriffs and US Marshals accepted bribes from criminals (1). The law officials became part of the crime they were hired to stop, making law and order an increasing issue in the West (1).
Exam Tip
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event on a wider theme like the indigenous way of life. The worked example shows how you could start an answer for this style of question. A good response to this style of question would have:
A logical structure of paragraphs. Within each paragraph, each sentence should link to the next. This will build a strong argument as to why the event is important to the wider theme
Specific own knowledge linked to the event, showing in-depth knowledge of the period
A clear explanation as to why the event was important to a wider theme. In the example above, you can see the phrase 'This impacted law and order ' is used. This helps to keep the response focused on the question
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