1. Why was the West so hard to police?
In your pairs, try to come up with as many
Reasons as possible that help to explain
Why the West was so hard to police?

2. Lesson Objectives
*To identify and explain the role of key men and women who broke the law in the American West *To explore the extent to which the American West was genuinely ‘Wild’

3. Why was there disorder in the West?
The huge area, and slowness of transport made ‘policing’ the West difficult.
Mining camps and cow towns were centres of lawlessness
Vigilantes (self- created policing groups) used violence and created terror
Gunslingers and gangs dominated many areas
Conflict on the range frequently broke out
Between cattlemen and homesteaders

4. When the Civil War ended in 1865 most of the lands west of the Mississippi were still federal territories.
These territories were divided up into towns and counties
They were controlled by the Federal Government
There was however a shortage of reliable law enforcement officers to keep order over such a huge area of land.
When the federal Government sent officials to govern the territories, lawmen were also sent.

6. Who were the Vigilantes?
Vigilantes were people who took the law into their own hands.
When they identified someone whom they believed to be a criminal they punished them.
They might run them out of town or lynch them
There were over two hundred vigilante groups west of the Mississippi.
In some regions they did clean up the territory
However they often hanged the wrong person and used their position to settle private disputes and quarrels.

7. American West – Law and Order TOP TRUMPS
Your challenge!
Make a a set of Top Trumps cards based on the different law men and lawlessmen and women in the West

8. Legendary Lawless men and women
Billy the Kid
The Wild Bunch
John Wesley Hardin
Belle Starr
Etta Place
Annie McDougal and Jennie Metcalf
Name
What did he do (Lawless rating)
Where was he based?
How famous was he?

9. Your Task (Homework) What happened in Abilene? (Green book p.75 – 76)
What was the Johnson County War? (Green 79 – 80)

10. Exam question Why was the West so hard to police? (10 marks)
Choose 3 of the above points to explain in
detail.