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[–] 9 points 1 year ago (1 child)

Weren't most early police forces actually slave catchers?

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  • [–] [S] 7 points 1 year ago

    As mentioned in the explanation:

    While the notion that policing forces in the US grew out of slave patrols is widespread, it is not strictly speaking true - in the 1850s, many locales simply did not have formal policing forces, which was still a cutting-edge innovation from Britain (see: Peele's Principles ). In the post-Civil War era, Federal Reconstruction in the South led to an increasing need for abstract law enforcement which did not rely on mob consensus.

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