The origins of policing in America | Perspective

Washington Post

24 Sept 202007:04

Summary

TLDRThe video script delves into the historical roots of American policing, tracing its origins from colonial times to the modern era. It highlights the early role of policing in controlling enslaved Africans and maintaining social order, emphasizing that police departments were designed to protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful. The script challenges the notion that police are broken, suggesting instead that they are functioning as intended, and calls for a reimagining of public safety that moves beyond traditional law enforcement.

Takeaways

🕵️ Policing in America has deep historical roots, dating back to Colonial times with night watches, local sheriffs, and militias.
🔒 The institution of policing was initially designed to control enslaved Africans and enforce slave codes, which regulated their movements and rights.
📜 The 13th Amendment abolished slavery except as punishment for a crime, leading to the creation of 'Black Codes' that criminalized Black freedom and re-enslaved many.
💼 After the Civil War, the South exploited legal loopholes to continue controlling the Black population through laws and practices that resembled slavery.
👮‍♂️ Police departments in the North were also created to control labor and maintain the status quo for the wealthy and powerful.
🏭 Early police forces were often corrupt and served the interests of business owners, acting as enforcers against labor unions and political dissent.
🛠 The Pennsylvania State Police, for example, originated from private forces meant to suppress worker rights and unionization efforts.
🚔 The history of policing is intertwined with the maintenance of social order that favored the elite, often at the expense of minority and working-class rights.
✋ Activists argue for the defunding or abolishment of the police, pointing to a history that shows the institution was not designed to serve all Americans equally.
🏗️ The script challenges the notion that police are broken, suggesting instead that they are operating as intended, and calls for the creation of new institutions focused on public safety.

Q & A

When did modern police departments first emerge in Northern cities?
-Modern police departments first emerged in Northern cities such as Boston in the 19th century.
What was the original purpose of law enforcement in the United States?
-The original purpose of law enforcement in the United States was to track and control enslaved Africans.
What were the duties of the slave patrols in the South during the 1700s?
-The slave patrols were tasked with capturing, controlling, and brutalizing enslaved people.
How were slave patrols enforced and regulated?
-Slave patrols were required to serve a tour of duty, usually up to a year, and individuals were compensated for their time but penalized if they did not show up for their required service.
What were the 'slave codes' and how did they impact enslaved people?
-Slave codes were laws meant to prevent enslaved people from organizing or rebelling, restricting their movements, gatherings, education, and self-defense.
How did the 'Black Codes' exploit the 13th Amendment after the Civil War?
-The 'Black Codes' essentially criminalized all forms of Black freedom by adopting broad vagrancy laws that targeted African-Americans who could not prove employment or challenged unfair labor terms.
What was the practice of convict-leasing and how did it benefit states and companies?
-Convict-leasing involved lending out prisoners to work in industries like mining and railroads, generating revenue for states and huge profits for companies using the cheap prison labor.
How did the role of police change after the Civil War and the rise of 'Black Codes'?
-After the Civil War and the rise of 'Black Codes', the police took over the former duties of slave patrols, effectively re-enslaving those who had gained freedom and enforcing the new laws that criminalized Black freedom.
What was the role of early police departments in the North regarding labor control?
-Early police departments in the North aimed to control labor, maintain political power, and were often involved in enforcing the will of the political elites and affluent classes over the poor and working class.
How did the Pennsylvania State Police originate and what was their initial purpose?
-The Pennsylvania State Police originated from private police forces owned by those running cons, with the explicit job of controlling workers trying to unionize for rights.
What is the argument for decoupling the idea of public safety from the police?
-The argument is that public safety should not be solely dependent on police, as they were historically created to serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful, not necessarily to address social issues like crime, inequality, or poverty.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Origins and Evolution of Policing in America

This paragraph delves into the historical roots of American policing, tracing its origins back to colonial times with night watches, local sheriffs, and militias. It highlights the establishment of modern police departments in the 19th century, particularly in Northern cities like Boston. The paragraph emphasizes the role of policing in the South during the 1700s, where slave patrols were tasked with capturing and controlling enslaved Africans. These patrols were an early form of law enforcement, with all white individuals, including children, expected to enforce slave codes that restricted the freedoms of enslaved people. After the Civil War, the South exploited a loophole in the 13th Amendment through 'Black Codes,' which criminalized various aspects of Black life, leading to a system of convict-leasing that effectively re-enslaved many. The paragraph concludes by discussing the role of police in maintaining the social order and the status quo, particularly in relation to race and labor.

05:00

🏭 Policing and Labor Control in the Industrial Era

The second paragraph explores the connection between policing and labor control during the period of mass European immigration and rapid industrialization. It discusses how early police departments in the North were created to manage labor and maintain order, often being corrupt and serving the interests of the wealthy and powerful. The Pennsylvania State Police is cited as an example, with its origins in private police forces aimed at controlling workers and preventing unionization. The paragraph argues that the history of policing in the United States has been about protecting a select few, rather than serving the broader public. It touches on the current calls from activists to defund or abolish the police, suggesting that public safety can be decoupled from the institution of policing. The paragraph concludes by questioning the effectiveness of police in addressing social issues like crime, inequality, and mental health, and proposes the need for alternative institutions to ensure public safety.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Policing

Policing refers to the function of maintaining law and order within a society. In the context of the video, it highlights the historical origins of American policing, which were deeply intertwined with the control and surveillance of enslaved Africans and later the enforcement of 'Black Codes' post-Civil War. The video suggests that the institution of policing was not designed to serve all citizens equally but rather to maintain social control and protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful.

💡Slave Patrols

Slave patrols were groups of men, often white, who were tasked with capturing, controlling, and brutalizing enslaved people in the 1700s in the Southern colonies. The video explains that these patrols were the precursors to modern police forces, illustrating how early law enforcement was inherently about racial control and suppression rather than public safety as we understand it today.

💡Black Codes

Black Codes were a series of laws passed in the South after the Civil War that effectively criminalized Black freedom. These laws made it illegal for Black people to engage in various activities, such as unemployment, and were used to re-enslave those who had been freed. The video uses 'Black Codes' to demonstrate how the legal system was manipulated to continue the exploitation of Black labor and maintain social hierarchy.

💡Convict-Leasing

Convict-leasing was a practice where states would lease out their prisoners to private companies for labor. This system generated revenue for the states and profits for the companies while effectively re-enslaving recently freed individuals. The video points out that this practice required the involvement of the police, who took over the duties of slave patrols, to enforce these labor contracts and maintain the system of exploitation.

💡Political Elites

Political elites are the influential and powerful individuals within a society who often hold significant political and economic power. The video discusses how early police departments served the interests of these elites, enforcing their will and maintaining social order in ways that benefited the affluent while controlling the poor and marginalized.

💡Labor Control

Labor control refers to the management and regulation of workers, often to ensure their compliance and productivity. In the video, it is mentioned that police in the North were used to control labor, particularly in the context of rapid industrialization and immigration, where there was growing unrest among workers. This highlights the role of police as enforcers of economic interests rather than public safety.

💡Defunding the Police

Defunding the police is a movement that calls for reallocating or redirecting funds away from the police department to other community services. The video suggests that the history of policing in the U.S. has been one of serving a fraction of the population and that public safety should be decoupled from the police, advocating for the creation of new institutions to address social issues.

💡Public Safety

Public safety generally refers to the protection of a community from various threats, including crime and disorder. The video challenges the traditional association of public safety with policing, arguing that the police are not the sole or most effective solution to issues like crime, inequality, or mental health. It prompts viewers to consider alternative approaches to ensuring safety and well-being.

💡Institutional Racism

Institutional racism is the presence of racist practices or discrimination within an institution or system. The video discusses how the institution of policing was created to maintain racial hierarchy and control, particularly over Black people. It suggests that the problem with policing is not just individual racism but the inherent bias built into the system.

💡Abolishment of Police

The abolishment of police is a more radical stance than defunding, advocating for the complete dismantling of the current police system. The video touches on this concept as part of a broader discussion about the historical role of police and the need for new systems of public safety that are not rooted in control and oppression.

💡Social Control

Social control refers to the ways in which societies manage and influence the behavior of individuals to maintain order and conformity. The video describes how the police were used as a tool of social control, particularly to suppress Black people and enforce the will of the wealthy and powerful. This concept is central to understanding the video's argument that policing is more about maintaining power structures than ensuring public safety.

Highlights

The concept of policing in America has deep historical roots, with origins in colonial times.

Early forms of law enforcement were primarily focused on controlling enslaved Africans.

The 19th century saw the establishment of modern police departments in Northern cities like Boston.

Slave patrols in the South were official, salaried groups tasked with capturing and brutalizing enslaved people.

All white individuals, including children, were expected to enforce slave codes that restricted the freedom of enslaved people.

The 13th Amendment's loophole allowed the South to pass 'Black Codes', further controlling the lives of freed slaves.

Convict-leasing became a profitable practice, effectively re-enslaving freed individuals and providing cheap labor.

The police were instrumental in maintaining the subservience of Black people to white domination post-Civil War.

Early Northern police departments were created to control labor and were known for their corruption.

Police often served the interests of the wealthy, enforcing political will and suppressing labor unrest.

The Pennsylvania State Police originated from private forces used to control workers and prevent unionization.

The history of policing is one of serving a select few, often at the expense of marginalized communities.

Activists call for defunding or abolishing the police, citing its history as a reason for its current failures.

The concept of public safety must be decoupled from the police to address social issues effectively.

The history of policing shows that it was never solely about crime prevention but also about social control.

The institution of policing was created to serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful, not the general public.

The role of police in society needs to be reimagined to truly serve public safety and address social inequalities.