History Quiz: American West

[Shuckins]

Dueling was agin the law in every state east of the Mississippi by the time of the Civil War.  Since most of the west's residents were immigrants from the east, they probably shared that region's attitudes about shoot-em-ups in the city streets.  Perpetrators were arrested.  That is probably why most murderers shot their victims in the back at night, or on some lonesome trail.

Shuckins

[miko2d]

Shuckins: Dueling was agin the law in every state east of the Mississippi by the time of the Civil War.  Since most of the west's residents were immigrants from the east, they probably shared that region's attitudes about shoot-em-ups in the city streets.

 Or maybe they did not - and had run away from the East to the West exactly to escape that region's attitudes of government interference.

 miko

[lazs2]

lots of things were illeagl but were enforced in a very uneven manner.   Law was spred pretty thin and most large ranchers controled the law for vast tracts of land.   That part the movies got right.    Most sherrifs and gunfighters/outlaws were one and the same... they switched careers seamlessly..  being handy with a gun was the most important factor in sheriffing.

Time life (one of my least favorite companies) did a pretty good series about the west a while back.

lazs