Introduction
The history of violence in America can be dated back to the civil war, during which the slaves gained their freedom and the unity of America was restored, but internal violence emerged as a result of the contest between the Northern and Southern armies. Richard Maxwell explains that the origin and progress of the American Revolution were characterized by domestic violence. The violent acts during the civil war and revolution acted as a foundation for other violent acts that followed after the two events, where people engaged in violent acts for any cause regardless of whether the acts are good or otherwise. Richard states that in the current American society, violent acts are not just committed by the lawless and criminals; rather, such acts are committed by the honourable and respectable members of society. Most of the violent actions committed in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are as a result of established Americans, who seek to safeguard their social, political and economic positions in the society (Brown, 1970).
The first round of revolutionary violence was experienced in the 1760s and 1770s and was steered by the sons of liberty and the patriots of the American port cities. The second phase of revolutionary violence occurred between 1774 and 1777 and was as a result of the resistance against the British through the military. The third phase of revolutionary violence happened after 1777 and was as a result of the guerrilla activity from the Hudson to the Savannah (Brown, 1970).
Before the civil war, organized gangs of criminals were the main perpetrators of violence while horse theft and counterfeit of, a myriad number of private banknotes were the most prevalent types of crimes. After the civil war, the assassination of politicians and the state's men was the most brutal and hazardous type of violence being committed. Train and bank robberies were the most prevalent types of crimes that marked the period after the civil war. Crime in modern America has been characterized by big city organized criminals who have extensive connections with the police and the political class. Other causes of violence in modern America include social bandits, police brutality and lynch mob violence. Due to the absence of effective law and order in the frontier regions, vigilantism was on the rise, with many vigilantes intending to restore law and order. While the initial intentions for vigilantism were to restore order in the society, a lot of the vigilantes ended up breaking the same laws and order that they claimed to uphold. Other forms of violence that are present in current America include racial and ethnic violence, religious violence, economic violence, industrial violence and political violence, among others forms of violence (Brown, 1970).
Violence and criminal acts in the United States have continued to decrease significantly since the colonial period. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program by the FBI reports that while violent crimes had significantly decreased before World War II, the period between the 1960s and 1990s saw a rapid increase in violent crimes. However, the UCR reports that the number of violent crimes in the US has consistently declined after the 1990s. Even though the UCR reports that the rates of violent crimes have been steadily decreasing over the years, most of the Americans believe that violent crimes are still on the rise across the country. The rates of violent acts have been fluctuating over the years. For instance, in 2018, the UCR reports that the estimated number of nationwide violent crimes were 1,206,836, which was a 3.3% decrease from the violent crimes reported in 2017 (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics 2018). However, the 2018 figure of violent crimes was 4.7% higher than the violent crimes reported in 2014, but 9% lower than the violent crimes reported in 2009 (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics 2018).
The types of violent crimes also differ from one city to another in the USA. For instance, some of the large cities with a population of between 500,000 to 999,999 people saw an increase in the rates of homicides and violent crimes between 2015/2016 while some of the lesser populated cities with a population between 50,000 to 99,999 people saw a decrease in the rates of homicides (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics 2016). Use of firearms while perpetrating violent crimes remains high with UCR reporting that of all the violent crimes committed in the USA in 2018, more than 70% were committed by use of firearms (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics 2018). As such, there is need for the authorities to be more proactive in the fight against violent crimes with the aim of reducing the number and victims of such crimes.
