Final answer:
The correct answer is option C. High crime rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Vigilance Committee of 1856 was prompted by C. High crime rates, specifically in response to rampant lawlessness and corruption in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era. Residents formed these committees as a form of extralegal law enforcement, acting where they felt established authorities were ineffective or complicit in the criminal activities plaguing the city.
To address similar questions related to political and social unrest:
- Machine politics often led to taxpayers paying higher taxes due to graft, which can be seen as a disadvantage of machine politics.
- The cause of the French Revolution was attributed to a. an economic crisis, exacerbated by heavy taxation and debt.