The Wild West Was Not “Lawless”

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The Wild West Was Not “Lawless”

The word “lawless” is often used to describe the Wild West. In truth, America was no more lawless then than it is now. Historian W. Eugene Hollon told the Independent Institute that the Wild West “was a far more civilized, more peaceful and safer place than American society today.”

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According to the Smithsonian, the reputation of “lawlessness” began with newspapers from Dodge City, Kansas. That’s where the phrase “get out of dodge” originated. Sensationalized newspapers from the early 1870s provided the basis for Western movie plots.