Lawlessness in Early Settlements

• The American West had laws, but there were problems in making people obey them.

  Until the 1840s, migrant communities were very small and so there was little lawless behaviour.

  However, the California Gold Rush caused mass migration – in 1846 there were about 8000 nonIndians in California; by 1855 it was 300,000. Soon the existing California law systems were unable to cope with the number of people living there.