United States. Marshal (New Mexico)

In 1851, when New Mexico became a territory of the United States, the U.S. Marshals were established as the main form of government rule. The history of the U.S. Marshals in New Mexico and the Southwest in general is distinct, owing to several socio-cultural and geographic factors. Sparsely settled villages among barren deserts and mountains, peoples accustomed to Mexican justice which was based on Roman rather than English legal structures, and indigenous populations accustomed and receptive mainly to their own laws, posed difficult challenges for establishing a uniform body of law to be disseminated and followed by the peoples of New Mexico. The U.S. Marshals wrestled with these problems until about 1861, by which point, they managed to lay a foundation of federal law enforcement in the Southwest, albeit this was met with resistance from native populations who were unwilling to yield to American domination. From 1882-1896, New Mexico underwent considerable but troubled growth, evidenced by the construction of railroads, the influx of new settlers, an expansion of the economy, demands of Hispanos for more equitable treatment, the integration of Indian populations into the mainstream federal justice system, and renewed congressional interest in frontier reforms. These reforms included reducing liquor traffic among Indians, as well as acquiring inexpensive public lands for sale to soon to be citizens; the need to resolve the Spanish land grant issue; and adopting a middle class moral code, especially the practice of monogamy. The U.S. Marshals were entrusted with carrying out these reforms, which often led them into dangerous situations such as breaking up rings of illicit whiskey sellers and capturing murderers who were carrying out assassinations of sheriffs and other law enforcers. A war against lawlessness ensued in the late 1880s, which in due course, helped the marshals and the U.S. Government create faith in the judicial system, and establish New Mexico's U.S. Marshals as recognized and respected law enforcers. During the two world wars, the U.S. Marshals were viewed as the protectors of the home front against enemy aliens, spies, saboteurs, and slackers played an important part in the apprehension, internment, and overseeing of enemy aliens in camps at Santa Fe and Fort Stanton. While the establishment of the U.S. Marshals in New Mexico followed a distinct historical trajectory directed by the uniqueness of the Southwest, they eventually acclimated to their socio-cultural and geographic environment and helped bring the frontier into the American mainstream judicial system.

From the description of United States. Marshal (New Mexico) records, 1888-1950. (University of New Mexico-Main Campus). WorldCat record id: 232668556

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