KT1 Flashcards
(104 cards)
1
Q
How were tribes divided?
A
Into bands, with each having a chief alongside a council of advisors.
2
Q
Describe bands.
A
-Most members in bands were related to each other.
-Led by chief + council of advisors, deciding what band did.
-Survival and protection of whole band more important than survival of any one individual within.
-Consisted of approximately 50 families.
3
Q
Describe chiefs.
A
-In 19th century, bands would appoint chiefs, though not usually for their lifetime.
-Were chosen due to wisdom and skills as warrior/hunter.
-Chief and council decided where the band would go and what punishment would be given to those who did not follow customs or traditions.
-The rules enforced by them however did NOT have to be obeyed.
-In council, no law passed until every member agreed.
4
Q
Describe the tribes.
A
-Bands within a tribe would help other ones for their survival
-Tribal meeting occurred annually to arrange marriage, trade horses and discuss issues.
-Chiefs and elders (respected for their wisdom and experience) formed advisors to tribal chiefs.
-Some tribes were in larger groups called nations.
5
Q
Describe warrior societies/brotherhoods.
A
-Consisted of group of best warriors of band.
-Members could supervise hunting and protected bands from attack.
-All short raids and wats led by tribal council and them, and were also consulted by the council before any implementation of law.
6
Q
Who lived in America before its discovery?
A
Before European settlement and Christopher Columbus’ discovery in 1497, the Indigenous (first people to live in a place) / native (original) Americans lived there.
7
Q
What was the nickname given by European settlers to the native Americans?
A
American Indians, and for those in particular who lived on the Plains, Plain Indians.
8
Q
Location of the Great Plains?
A
Between Mississippi river in east and Rocky mountain range in west, stretches from border of Canada in north to border of Mexico in south.
9
Q
What was the nickname for the Great Plains by European settlers, and why?
A
The Great American Desert, due to the land lacking trees and water, with strong winds and extreme temperatures.
10
Q
Definition of a nation.
A
Major group, like the Lakota, who share same descent, culture, language and location.
11
Q
Describe the Lakota nation.
A
1 of the Oceti Sakowin (The 7 Councils of Fire) in 19th century, in the US at the time controlled large areas of the northern Plains. Nation known by Europeans at the time as the Sioux.
12
Q
What was Lakota society like?
A
-Very different to that of European settlers
-No laws passed until every member of a council agreed to it
-Rest of tribe/band not forced to obey to rules
-Elders guided by spirit world through visions
13
Q
Consequences of this traditional Plain Indian society?
A
In 1868, when Red Cloud signed a treaty to move onto reservations, the government thought this mean that the whole tribe would do this, however bands led by Chief Sitting Bull in the Lakota opposed this and did not conform.
14
Q
Describe band roles.
A
-Each individual viewed as having equal importance of ensuring band survival.
-Men (braves) hunted, fought enemies and looked after horses. Also would raid tribes or confirm hunting grounds, gaining respect as courageous warriors.
-Women (Squaws) made clothing, fed the family, looked after tipis, searched for water and some also fought.
-Elders were respected though if they were saw as weakness that could risk band survival, would be left behind.
-Everyone looked after children, learning the skills of their parents.
15
Q
Consequences of care of children in Plains society
A
Plains Indian children were taught by many band members and so when government tried to break band/tribe into family plots/send them to school miles away, the children were unable to learn skills and traditions of the tribe, as well as their way of life.
16
Q
Description of Great Plains enviroment.
A
Very tough, very dry with very hot summers and very cold winters.
17
Q
And significance of toughness of Plains environment?
A
Tribe members therefore depended on each other, the land and animals like the buffalo and horses to survive.
18
Q
When were horses first introduced to the Plains?
A
By Spanish invaders, with the tribes breeding, trading and even stealing horses between each other.
19
Q
Significance of buffalo.
A
-Every part of the animal except the heart, left on the Plains, was used for food, clothing and equipment.
-Heart left in the land as they believed it gave new life to a herd.
-Women and children would cut the meat, eaten raw/cooked, with some being stored for the winter known as jerky.
-Caught best using horseback
20
Q
Describe significance of horses.
A
-Impossible to live without use of horses for hunting.
-Wealth + status denoted by number of horses an individual/tribe owned
-Used in war
-Carried Indians + their belongings on journey to follow buffalo migrations.
21
Q
Describe nomadic lifestyle of the Plains Indians.
A
-Many followed buffalo migrations in summer and autumn, having a nomadic lifestyle at these times.
-Often ate wild fruits and plants, not settling long enough to grow crops.
-Tipis were conical tents made up of poles covered in buffalo hides, were great for Plain life, as flaps provided ventilation in hot summer, and could easily be taken down within minutes, used for eating, societies and council meetings
-In winter times, moved to sheltered valleys in wooden lodges insulated by thick layers of soil.
22
Q
Significance of Indians’ nomadic lifestyle.
A
Tribes often found it difficult on reservations permanently as they were unable to travel and hunt freely.
23
Q
Indians’ belief in terms of nature
A
-Everything in nature had a spirit, and these spirits could help/harm humans
-Humans are only a part of nature and so should work with the spirits rather than trying to tame and control nature
-Contacting spirit world techniques included visions and ritual dances
24
Q
Lakota belief in nature?
A
Nation had very close connection with nature, believing in the Wakan Takan, the Great Spirit, who connect things in a sacred web of life, and this gave them their traditions used for life like leaving the heart of a buffalo at its hunting grounds.
25
Plain Indian beliefs of land and property.
-Some lands were sacred to the tribes
-The Saha Papa in the Black Hills were quite sacred for the Lakota Sioux, as they believed it was the tribal birthplace
-Families sometimes had garden plots, but generally no-one owned any land, as it was believed that it was everyone's property and not something that one person should be able to buy and own solely for themself.
26
Consequences of Plain Indian beliefs of property and land.
White settlers had very different views on property, wanting to own land that they could exclude tribes from, which led to tension and conflict.
27
Plain Indian beliefs of war
-Society was full of war, a near-constant feature of Plains life, though tribes avoided too much killing as young men were viewed as essential for tribe survival.
-Raids nearly each summer were held
-Highest respect given to warriors, usually young men by doing a counting coup; landing a blow to an enemy with a short club called a coup stick, and then being able to escape from the battle untouched; the ultimate proof of courage and skill.
-Parties would run away if they believed that wars turned against them
-Shooting enemy not considered very honourable and so when guns arrived on the Plain, were highly disliked by the Indians.
28
Consequences of Plain Indian beliefs of war
US Army found it very difficult to fight tribes when they would run away if they believed the fight was turning against them, not like the army's traditional way of fighting until the last man, and so had to devise new techniques to deal with this strategy.
29
What occurred in 1776?
US begins to grow from the 13 colonies established by the British, gaining independence from the foreign power in 1776
-As more settlers from Europe increased over time, number of US settlers therefore increased, and some begin to spread west.
30
What occurred in 1830?
-Settlers reach Mississippi river, wanting to go through land owned by the Indigenous people, mistaking the Indians' respect for nature as unsocialized savagery and inability to use land to its full potential
-This attitude led president Andrew Jackson to pass the Indian Removal Act, taking land from the Indigenous People on the East, giving them Plains land instead, some tribes like the Cherokee and Seminole resisted, however were forcibly marched to the Plains, with thousands dying on the strenuous journey.
-70-100,000 Indigenous People moved to Plains by 1840
31
What occurred in 1834?
Indian government passes Indian Trade and Discourse Act, regulating relations with the tribes, creating a frontier between them and the rest of the USA, called the Permanent Indian Frontier
-Concluded Plains land was treeless, waterless and so useless.
32
What occurred in 1848?
USA wins Mexican-American War, gaining western territory in land soon known as states of California and Oregon.
-Indigenous people find themselves sandwiched between US settlement at east and west of them, with tensions increasing in the tribes as some settlers attempt to cross their land without permission.
33
Name and explain the 6 pull factors to the west.
-Freedom and independence
-Fertile land and adventure in California and Oregon
-Space
-Cost of land; Pre-Emption Act by government in 1841 allowed settlers to buy 160 acres of land at a very cheap cost before offering it to other.
-Oregon Trail; discovery of safe route through Rocky Mountains in 1836 made journey quite easy
-Gold; discovery of Gold in California in 1848 triggered the Californian Gold Rush of 1849
34
Name and explain the 3 push factors to the west
-Collapse of what prices due to banks and businesses failing in economic depression in 1832
-Unemployment widespread
-Overpopulation and poor living conditions led to outbreaks of cholera and yellow fever
35
What occurred in 1824?
Explorer Jedediah Smith passes explores South Pass in Rocky Mountains
36
What occurred in 1836?
First migrants reach Oregon via wagon
37
What occurred in 1837?
Economic depression in west causes increase of migration rates in 1837 as settlers go to find better living conditions
38
What occurred in 1841?
Government funds expedition camps in Oregon Trail to publish guidebook for migrants
39
What occurred in 1846?
Governor of Illinois orders Mormons to leave the state
40
What occurred in 1848?
Gold discovery in California
41
What occurred in 1858-9?
Gold discovered in Rocky Mountain
42
What occurred in 1874?
Gold discovered in the Black Hills
43
Description of financial panic in East.
-Banks suffer due to cotton in 1837
-Banks run out of money
-People love savings
-Banks close
-Unemployment reaches 25% in some areas
-Contrasting life in West, with land of gold, motivation for settler migration to find better life.
44
Discuss farming crisis in the Midwest.
-1837, corn prices collapse, leaving farmers in chaos
-Not helped by overcrowding in fertile regions of land
-Some migrants thought they would be able to settle in better farmlands in the West which were not overcrowded, and be able to profit there.
45
Manifest Destiny?
US government wanted to populate Western territory to defend it from foreign powers. Aim reflected in Manifest Destiny, belief that it was God's will for white Americans to populate and settle across the whole of America, accepting that at the time it must be right as it was natural, seeing no problem in stealing tribal lands, believing it was their Christian requirement to spread their superior progress and way of life across the entirety of the country.
46
Events of 1849 Californian Gold Rush
-1849, migration to California is at 1000s of gold prospectors
-Between 1836-46, total number of migrants that had used the trail was 5000, hitting 10000 by 1849
-1000s also travelled there by ship from across the globe from areas like San Francisco
-Famine in Chine led 20,000 Chinese migrants in 1832
-Majority of prospectors did not find gold, who searched in streams and river beds
-Professions, who had the equipment and expertise to mine overground, found most of gold in the 1850s.
47
Name the 8 consequences of the 1849 Californian Gold Rush
-Lawlessness in mining camp
-Mass migration led to announcement of California as state by 1850, with a population of 300,000 by 1855
-Farming boom in California
-Manifest Destiny increased confidence of migrations in settlement
-Genocide of Californian Indian by settlers due to their ethnicity
-Tension with Indigenous tribes due to increased use of Oregon Trail
-Racial tensions between American and foreign workers
48
Journey by the Donner Party and other migrants via the Oregon Trail?
From Missouri Independence, lasting 8-9 months
49
Distance of journey?
3200-3800 km (to California)
50
Conditions of journey?
Needed to complete before winter to prevent being stuck in the mountains
51
Beginning of the journey time of year?
April, when there was enough grass for animals
52
Food in journey?
Salt pork
53
Assisting in journey?
Firstly used Indigenous people as guides, however later on book was published
54
Crossing of mountain range in journey?
Rockies and either Blue Mountain or Sierra Nevada Steep, little to hunt and possible poor weather. Wagons were carried using ropes, pulleys and chains, often injuring many.
55
What were the Plains like?
Dangerous due to sandstorms, quicksand, extreme heat, disease, stampedes of buffalo, hostile Indians and lack of supplies
56
Name of people who made the journey?
Pioneers
57
Wagon dimensions, distance travelled daily?
3 meters long, 1 m wide. Pulled by horses and oxen, travelling up to 20 km daily
58
Number of deaths on the trail from 1840-60?
34000, 9 deaths per km of Oregon + California Trail
59
Describe the events of the Donner Party journey?
-Group led by Jacob and George Donner left Missouri in May 1846 with 60 wagons and 300 people, considered late in the year to leave
-Wagons contained people of many trades like blacksmiths, hunters and bakers to ensure of survival in the long and hazardous journey
-At East Brooklyn, Little Sandy River, group of 80 people attempted a short cut Bozeman Trail from leaflet, 1600 km from Independence, not used by anyone before, blocked by boulders and tree roots making journey slow and dangerous
-4 wagons broke, 300 cattle died and 1 man killed another
-Arrived late to Sierra Nevada in 1846, deciding to stay in the camp, trapped in heavy snow
-Group sent for help nearby Johnson's Rock
-32 days later, parties discovered in January 1847
60
Consequences of trail
-Conditions awful, animals died, food ran out and pioneers faced starvation
-Group of 15 adults and 2 Indigenous guides sought help, four soon disappeared, survival of remaining soon ate others dead, guides refused, and soon died, and were eaten
-Pioneers remaining had to resort to cannibalism
-Less than 50 of 80 of the Donner Party who used the Bozeman Trail reached California.
61
When + how did Mormonism begin?
-In 1820, Joseph Smith founded a new religious group called the Church of Jesus Christ and latter-day Saints in Palmyra, in New York state. Members of this group were called Mormons.
-Smith believed he had been visited by an angle, telling him the location of some old ancient texts inscribes on gold plates. He translated the writings, containing prophetic visions of Jesus Christ living and preaching in North America, publishing them as The Book of Mormon.
-Smith was charismatic and persuasive, soon gaining hundreds of followers, with his growing popularity unsightly for mainstream Christians, branding him a 'blasphemous fraud'.
-He was murdered in Illinois in 1845.
62
Reasons for Mormon persecution?
1) Mormons practiced polygamy, offending other Christian groups.
2) Slave owners were angered by Mormons freeing enslaved people.
3) Growing Mormon communities exercised political power via voting, worrying groups who did not share their beliefs.
4) A Mormon paramilitary force, called the Danites, were involved in violence, leading to government opposition.
5) To other religious groups, Mormons were blasphemous, committing crimes against god.
6) Some were angered by Mormons standing up for rights of Indigenous Americans.
63
1st state move?
From New York to Ohio.
-Following an attack in Palmyra, they left, settling in Kirtland, Ohio.
-Mormons thrived there and had a community of 1000 Americans.
64
2nd state move?
1837- Mormons soon become outnumbered by non-Mormons, beginning to resent Smith and Mormon followers, being wrongly blamed for 1837 Great American Depression and were chased out of town.
-Headed for Independence, Missouri.
65
3rd state move?
-Arrival in Missouri alarmed local settlers, rioting in response, with army sent to restore order.
-Leaders, including Smith, were blamed for the riot, imprisoned and sentenced to death.
-However they were released on the condition that they left Missouri, and did so in 1838, within a year of arrival.
66
4th state move?
-Unwilling to go west into the Plains, Smith takes the Mormons east to a tiny town in Illinois called Commerce.
-There they worked hard and were prosperous, re-naming the town Nauvoo, Hebrew for "beautiful place", building a huge temple.
-By 1840, there were 35,000 Mormons in the town, with an increasing number of converts from Europe.
67
Joseph Smith's increasing unpopularity?
-1844, Smith claimed God had told him to grant Mormon men polygamy. Causing great upset amongst non-Mormons and themselves. Upset increased when learnt that Smith was running for USA presidency.
-27th June 1845, Smith was shot dead by an angry mob, with the Mormons hunted down and were attacked in the countryside.
68
-Smith's successor?
-New leader was Brigham Young, a practical man and a brilliant organiser, arguing that as long as Mormons lived alongside non-Mormon settlers, they would always be persucted.
-And so, he made the decision to move his community west, across the Plains to the Great Salt Lake, saying "if there is a place on Earth that nobody wants, that's the place I'm looking for."
69
Discuss the journey of the Mormons.
-Moving 16,000 Mormons 2250km across the Plains and over the Rocky Mountain range to establish a thriving city seemed an impossible task. The first winter was spent building wagons, collecting provisions and building oxen.
-Mormons then divided themselves into a series of separate wagon trains, with each 100 wagons within controlled by a captain. Each wagon train was then subdivided into 'tens', supervised by its own leader, to prevent confusion of hierarchy.
-First wagon train, containing Young, stopped to build rest cams for the following, at each one leaving people to plant crops and build workshops for blacksmiths and carpenters.
-When Young's wagon train reached Missouri in June 1846, it stopped to build the Winter Quarters, an encampment with a thousand cabins for the Mormons to shelter in during the freezing winter months.
-April 1847, Young et off with a "handpicked band" of 143 men, three women and two children to lead in the journey to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, finding a settlement to soon become Salt Lake City.
-Young allocated land for each family to work with irrigation channels dug for a water supply. The hard work of the pioneers and discipline meant the city thrived and thousands soon joined them.
70
Differences in the journey compared to that of the Donner Party.
-Donner Party used a pamphlet, Young had carefully planned the route.
-Donners ran out of food, Mormons had enough for a year.
-Donner had many old and young people, however Young handpicked his best team to lead the migration.
-Young used the team to improve the trail, marking out water sources and grass for animals, preparing a safe journey for the next 1500 Mormons.
-1847-69, 70,0000 Mormons travelled through the "Mormon trail"
71
Reminder:
1830?
-Indian Removal Act
-46,000 Eastern Plain Indians forced to give up their lands for Plain lands west of Mississippi river, at the time where the Plains had been branded 'The Great American River.
72
1834?
Permanent Indian Frontier divided territory from the eastern states. Forts guarded the frontier to prevent white settlers crossing Indigenous lands.
73
1848?
US won the American-Mexican war, Indian territory sandwiched Indian territory in the USA.
74
1851 Part 1?
Indian Appropriations Act allocates money for settling Plains Indians on reservations in modern-day Oklahoma.
75
1851 Part 2?
First Fort Laramie Treaty establishes territories for Plain Indians and allows white settlers into Indian settlers, ending the PI frontier, although frontier not officially ended until 1890.
76
Reasons for government support for western expansion?
-Government needed US citizens to live in new western territories to prevent foreign powers from invasion.
-And so people had to travel there from east via the Plains lands.
-US army forced Indigenous Americans to move away from trails in case they attacked eastern migrants from migration to West.
77
Consequences for support for government expansion?
US policy began to change, PI frontier still marked boundary between eastern US and Plains, but now European settlers were granted permission to cross it.
78
1840s reasoning for increasing conflict with the Plains?
-1840s, growing number of settlers move onto/through the Plains.
-Gold Rush in 1849 meant number of migrants crossing PI frontier increased dramatically.
-Movements of great herds of buffalo, which were relied on by Plains Indians, were distrusted by huge numbers of European settlers.
-Increase in number of settlers also scared other wild animals away, making hunting very difficult for the tribes.
-With shortage of buffalo and other animals, Indigenous people increasingly were forced to raid other tribes for their scarce resources.
79
Other reasons that increased conflict?
-Sight of Indigenous people often caused migrant wagon trains to panic and assumed they were being attacked.
-This then led to bloodshed and meant increased distrust and nobility with the tribes occurred.
80
US government's involvement?
-Both Plains Indians and European settlers ask government to intervene.
-Tribes wanted government to safeguard natural resources that which they depended on like the buffalo.
-Settlers wanted government to grant protection from Indian attack while travelling west across the Plains.
-This led to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851.
81
Discuss the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851.
-PI frontier created border between tribal land and rest of the US, land which was dubbed by the government as unhabitable. And so, allowed the Indians to do as they wished with the land.
-The Indian Appropriations Act marked an end to this way of thinking. The policy set aside government money to financially encourage Plains Indians to move to and stay in specific areas on the Plains, known as reservations, surrendering this previous land.
-As well as keeping both groups apart, the government also hoped that the Indians may come to learn and accept European settlers' farming methods and way of life. White people could teach Plain Indians on these reservations their way of life, and so ensure of governmental control over them.
82
The reasoning for tensions with Indians which led to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.
-California Gold Rush in 1849 led to rapid increase of white migration on Plains and Indians concern over the scarcity of resources and settlers' fears of being attacked by Indians and pressure on government to provide protection.
-This led to pressures on food supply which led to increased conflicts between tribes and again promise of protection by the government.
-This then meant that the Fort Laramie Treaty was introduced in 1851.
83
What was done to implement the Treaty?
-Representatives of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow and Sioux nations met with the US government regarding the treaty.
-It aimed to reduce conflicts between US migrants and settlers.
-And increase safety of settlers moving across Plains.
84
The Plains Indians agreed to?
-Live and stay in a reservation set out by the treaty to reduce conflict between Indians and settlers.
-Allow the government to build roads and military forts along the Trails of the Plains and allow railroad surveyors safe access.
85
US government agreed to?
-Ensure land promised to Indigenous tribes would remain their property permanently.
-Give nations $50,000 worth of food and goods each year for 50 years.
86
What does allowing white settlers access of Plain lands and safe access for railroad surveyors and military posts?
Implements white settlement of the Great Plains.
87
What does the government's payment to the tribes lead to?
The Indians' loss of independence.
88
Government prioritised in the act?
-Government prioritised white settlement over previous agreements with Indians about land in the Indian Trade and Discourse Act of 1834.
-Number of white settlers increased now because they were allowed safe passage along the Oregon Trail.
-Eradicated frontier and began the beginning of the age of reservations for the tribes.
89
Significance of the $50,000 annuity?
Used as a lever for the government against the tribes, because tribes now depended on this financial help, losing their own independence. 3
90
What were the consequences of the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty?
-Each nation now has its own separate territory with Plains access granted to white settlers. PI frontier no longer exists.
-US army begins to patrol the trails, making the route westward safe and so, migration increased to western states and settlement on the Plains themselves.
-Restricting Indians to one area and and hemming them in with roads and threatened their nomadic way of life.
-Structure of Indian society meant there was no equivalent of a US president to control the whole tribe and agree treaties on behalf of the whole Indian population. This meant many Indians did not feel the Fort Laramie Treaty applied to them, as they played no real in agreeing to it, with some actually not knowing of the legislation's existence.
-So when the government did little/nothing to prevent settlers moving onto reservation land, despite conditions of the Fort Laramie Treaty, some within tribes argued for war to drive the settlers from the Plains.
-Receiving annuity payments reduced tribal independence, with it becoming a threat for Indian behaviour. Increased calls within the nations for resistance against the threats to their existence as independence nations.
-US government used any incident of tribal hunting outside reservations or raiding of settler wagon trains that the whole nation was not meeting the obligations of the Treaty. And yet the government rarely acted to uphold its side of the policy, increased hostility and
91
Examples of lawlessness in West.
-New rise in crimes like claim jumping.
-Isolated communities scattered over vast areas.
-Racial tensions from immigration.
-Mining camps became target for criminals/
-Not enough enforcement of law.
-Mass settlement meant rapid population increases.
-Social factors like alcohol, gambling and prostitution.
92
Main cause for lawlessness in the West?
Rapid rise in population meant that police forces became unable to effectively enforce law.
93
Name the 8 reasons for lawlessness.
-Claim jumping.
-Lack of family stability.
-Criminals
-Unemployment
-Racial tensions
-Geography
-Guns
-Population growth
94
Explain claim-jumping.
Major problem in mining communities. Claim-jumping was where someone would assert ownership of other's land if gold was discovered there. Miner's courts sometimes helped settle disputes over a claim, but cases often ended in violence.
95
How did a lack of family stability lead to lawlessness in the West.
Majority of migrants who went west for gold were men without families, with heavy drinking and gambling common. With violence fuelled by alcoholism, or bad luck in card games as well as over a woman.
96
Describe how criminals affected lawlessness in the West.
Criminals believed west migration was a way of getting "rich quick" by tricking wealthy people out of their money.
97
How did unemployment affect lawlessness in the West?
Only a tiny percentage of those flocking to San Francisco became rich by mining for gold. More commonly fortune hunters became unemployed and turned to crime for survival, swindling rich people by encouraging them to buy into land with no gold at all.
98
How did racial tensions affect lawlessness in the West?
Discovery of gold attracted many worldwide. Many white settlers believed they were racially superior to foreigners and were therefore more entitled to gold. Racial tensions often turned violent, with Chinese settlers in particular facing significant discrimination
99
How did unemployment affect lawlessness in the West?
The area that the government had to police, the Great Plains, was vast with many mining communities extremely isolated. People often took the law into their own hands, hence the implementation of vigilante groups, before official authorities would become involved.
100
How did guns affect lawlessness in the West?
Majority would own a gun, so often disputes would turn violent into gunfights.
101
How did population growth affect lawlessness in the West?
Population of new settlements grew rapidly, like San Francisco went from 14,000 in 1848 to 225,000 in 1852. Law enforcement authorities and the federal government struggled to cope.
102
Discuss gangs in San Francisco.
-The population of the city grew rapidly because of the California gold rush of 1849.
-Very few prospectors found gold, and quickly the town was filled with disappointed, unemployed immigrants.
-After the famine in China in 1852, with these immigration rates increasing, racial tensions also surged.
-1851, gangs had formed and became uncontrollable in the city, with the few local policemen unable to cope, some also bribed by the gangs, and so murder, violence and theft was commonplace.
-With no effective law enforcement for the citizens of the city available, a vigilance committee was set up to control gang violence in 1851. This idea then on to mining camps.
103
Discuss more about the Chinese migrants from 1852.
After they arrived, they were banned from working new claims of land, with their own hard work even overlooked, often stolen by white settlers. The courts created also often actively discriminated also against the foreign immigrants.
104
What would the vigilance committees then do to tackle crime in California.
They then held their own trials outside of the law, and sentenced those guilty to punishments like deportation, whipping or death by hanging.
