Outlaws and Lawmen: Crime and Punishment in the 1800's (Daily Life in America in the 1800s)

American society in the 1800s had a rough edge to it. In a nation made up of people of diverse backgrounds and heritage, social controls needed to be strict and enforceable. The extreme economic inequality of America's cities and the wide-open moral code of the frontier led to a culture of crime and violence that still plagues our country. During the 1800s, professional police forces were established in cities, towns, and territories across the continent. On the frontier, "justice" was often swift and severe, with "hanging judges" making their reputations as representatives of the law in a lawless land. Long prison sentences in miserable conditions were the rule for criminals, and many a prisoner might have preferred the option of a quick execution. Before the reform of the legal system0́4which is an ongoing process0́4there was definitely a separate law, and a separate standard of penalties, for the rich and for the poor. The evolution of a humane penal system and a fairer protection of all citizens under the law is an important contribution of 1800s America to the modern world. Read more... Abstract: American society in the 1800s had a rough edge to it. In a nation made up of people of diverse backgrounds and heritage, social controls needed to be strict and enforceable. The extreme economic inequality of America's cities and the wide-open moral code of the frontier led to a culture of crime and violence that still plagues our country. During the 1800s, professional police forces were established in cities, towns, and territories across the continent. On the frontier, "justice" was often swift and severe, with "hanging judges" making their reputations as representatives of the law in a lawless land. Long prison sentences in miserable conditions were the rule for criminals, and many a prisoner might have preferred the option of a quick execution. Before the reform of the legal system0́4which is an ongoing process0́4there was definitely a separate law, and a separate standard of penalties, for the rich and for the poor. The evolution of a humane penal system and a fairer protection of all citizens under the law is an important contribution of 1800s America to the modern world Describes what life was like for nineteenth-century American women, exploring how they worked hard to care for their families and homes in urban areas and on the frontier, and discussing how they were impacted by various social movements This book describes the climate of crime and violence present both in cities and on the frontier in the 1800s, and of the inequitable justice system of the day that continues to be reformed Discusses the history of American criminal justice during the 1800s, including information on economic inequality, violence on the frontier, and the evolution of the penal system.