Violent Land: Single Men and Social Disorder from the Frontier to the Inner City

The presence of women and the institution of marriage are two of the most important factors in determining levels of violence and disorder in American life, writes David T. Courtwright in this historical and contemporary study. They socialize young men, who are responsible for most of the irresponsible (often criminal) behavior in the United States and elsewhere. When one or both of them has been lacking--on the American frontier, in early immigrant communities, and in today's inner city--social pathologies have erupted. This fascinating analysis gets to the real "root causes" of gross misconduct, and makes a rare contribution to the way we think about violence, disorder, and crime.