Law and order in mining towns, american west.

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  • Created by: Jam es
  • Created on: 02-09-19 14:17
what was a vigilante?
A vigilante was someone who went above the law to punish people how they saw fit. vigilante's arose in mining towns as there were no official law enforcers.
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what was the most common punishment?
hanging was a punishment for anything, from a small crime to a murder and angry mobs would often gather to watch the hangings.
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what was claim jumping?
Claim jumping was a miner mining where someone else had already started and claiming it as there own. claim jumping was one of the most common crimes in the mining towns.
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how did miners enforce the law apart from vigilantes?
the miners eventually began to set up courts that would settle disputes, however the courts were corrupt and people would often be put to death for very little or for nothing at all.
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how was a mining town a bad place?
mining towns were unhygienic, the saloons were full of gambling, drunkenness and prostitution. diseases such as cholera were very common due to the lack of hygiene.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

what was the most common punishment?

Back

hanging was a punishment for anything, from a small crime to a murder and angry mobs would often gather to watch the hangings.

Card 3

Front

what was claim jumping?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

how did miners enforce the law apart from vigilantes?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

how was a mining town a bad place?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5

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