Law and order

• What crimes were common in San Francisco in the 1850s due to the rise of gangs?

  Murder, violence, and theft were common.
• How did the local community deal with gang violence?

  They set up vigilance committees, which spread to mining towns.
• What did the federal government set up in mining areas to support law and order?

  Mining courts were set up to settle disputed claims between prospectors and miners.
• What was a posse?

  A posse was a group of men called together by a sheriff or marshal to help enforce the law.
• How did the end of the Civil War increase crime?

  Young men from the defeated southern states often resented the victorious US government and its laws, leading to violence.
• What were "Hell on wheels"?

  New towns created by the railroads that often grew quickly and initially had no local law enforcement.
• What two forms of communication helped increase federal government influence over law and order?

  The railroad and the electric telegraph.
• Who were appointed by the federal government to enforce the law?

  Sheriffs and marshals were appointed to enforce the law.
• Who were the Pinkertons?

  The Pinkertons were a private detective company employed by banks and railroad companies to track down criminals.
• What role did the Pinkertons play in conflicts involving robbers and thieves?

  They provided protection and investigated corruption
• Why was the Pinkerton agency less open to corruption?

  Because it was a private company not part of local communities