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A Sketch of the Causes, Operations and Results of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856 cover

A Sketch of the Causes, Operations and Results of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856

By Stephen Palfrey Webb
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History - AmericanLaw & Criminology

About This Book

A firsthand account examines how the sudden gold-era influx, overcrowded transport, and a volatile mix of settlers produced widespread disorder, crime, and political corruption that local institutions failed to control. It traces the citizens' formation of an extralegal vigilance organization, outlines its organization and methods for apprehending, trying, punishing, and banishing alleged offenders, and describes efforts to marshal public support and assert control over municipal functions. The narrative concludes by describing the committee's winding down, the opening of its headquarters to public inspection, the razing of fortifications, and its formal disbandment while retaining the claimed authority to act if peace were again threatened.

About the Author

Webb, Stephen Palfrey portrait

Stephen Palfrey Webb

Stephen Palfrey Webb was an American author known for his work on the historical events surrounding the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856. His notable book, "A Sketch of the Causes, Operations and Results of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856," provides a detailed examination of this significant episode in California's history, highlighting the social and political dynamics of the time. Webb's writing contributes to the understanding of civic unrest and the complexities of justice in the 19th century American West.

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