America’s criminals mainly arise from pure desperation to provide for others or to survive. These criminals become some of the worst, notorious criminals known to the nation. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, America’s sweethearts, had been affected by many factors leading to their crime spree. The America that Bonnie and Clyde were born into crafted them into the notorious criminals they became, changing the America in which they would die.
“Poverty… and crime go together. That is the truth” (Green 16). Bonnie and Clyde were both born into poor families. They lived their lives during the Great Depression. “It was during the Great Depression that Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went on their two-year crime spree (1932-1934)” (Rosenberg 1). Bonnie and Clyde were both desperate for money, and had no limits to which they would achieve it. Poverty was a cause of their criminal actions. “Poverty obviously doesn’t excuse crime, but it does just as obviously breed it” (Green 19). They were willing to rob banks, kill, and commit grand theft auto just to get money. They were desperate and needed to support their life, but were both unemployed.
Bonnie and Clyde wanted to make sure to leave behind a legacy that America could notice. “The general attitude in the country was against government and Bonnie and Clyde used that to their advantage. With and image closer to Robin Hood rather than mass murderers, Bonnie and Clyde captured the imagination of the nation” (Rosenberg 1). “Several bank robbers during this period became famous as Robin Hood figures who struck back against the banks, which many people viewed as oppressive” (Jenkins 1). Bonnie and Clyde were trying to come off as ‘not so’ bad guys. They knew they were against the law, but ...
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...d Clyde, capturing the hearts of America, even though they were evil, changed America. They will be truly remembered forever” (Meyer 8). Many things affected the life of Bonnie and Clyde causing them to become criminals. They entered an America which was poverty struck. Plenty of people had less hope than they had money. Bonnie and Clyde began their spree to steal money from the banks. Not only did they succeed for a while with this, but they left a life-long legacy behind. When America was at its worst, Bonnie and Clyde came along and added fear to the peoples’ lives as well. “Nobody imagined it to get any worse than that. No money, no hope, no faith. All of it was gone. The addition of fear was sometimes too much for people to handle. As if they didn’t have enough already” (Baker 1). The notorious killers have left their mark in history, to be remembered forever.
Bonnie had a bitter taste in her mouth thinking that she wasn't part of the gang but still knowing it was for her own good.4 Clyde had picked her up in Dallas and they had started to make their way to New Mexico, while during the depression it was very hard for anyone to take a vacation during these times; a police officer had seen the car and had their plates ran. The police officer had realized that the car had been reported stolen so he approached the car and Bonnie and Clyde forced him into the car at gunpoint, but later releasing him so he could tell their story.
On August 23, 1927, Nicola Sacco and Barolomeo Vanzetti were executed in one of the most controversial legal cases in American history. Two men were shot and robbed in Braintree, MA, and two poor Italian immigrants were arrested for the crime. Although neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had criminal records, they both had pistols on them at the time, and followed a violent anarchist leader. Following their arrest, the seven-year case on the crime would drive national and international protests demanding their exoneration. There were numerous elements in the trial that influenced the guilty verdicts for the men including, but not limited to, weak evidence. The Sacco Vanzetti trial displays the social injustices and prejudice in American society during the time. It is evident that even though they are innocent, the court used Sacco and Vanzetti as scapegoats in this crime because of their beliefs and background.
The similarities in the lives of this father and son are uncanny. I will look at the murders committed by both Butch and Willie. They both committed two murders. I will look at the correlation between the two men and the murders they committed. I will touch on their lives and their treatment at home. In addition, how that eventually affected them and the eventual murders they both committed. Their mother has sent them both away. They were both sent to the same juvenile detention centers at different times. This affected both men differently. The psychologists gave them the same diagnosis at different times, but no one realized this at the time. It is astonishing that there was no connection made between the two men. There was bound to be tragedy in their lives given the history in this family. Butch and Willie both committed heinous crimes, but for different reasons. I will look at why I think they killed and what sentences I believe they should have gotten for killing.
In her book, Limerick describes the “idea of innocence” that permeated the American West (36). According to the author, the underlying motive for every action was pure (even when it really was not). According to Western American folklore, early settlers did intend to victimize Indians and trespass on their land, but instead came to America to pursue new opportunities and improve their lives (Limerick 36). The same ideological theory may be applied to the motivations of the sensationalized outlaws from the time. For example, in her book Limerick details the life of John Wesley Hardin, an outlaw, who began his violent life of crime at the age of fifteen (36). According to the story, Hardin shot and killed a black man (Limerick 36). However, idolized as the son of a preacher, Hardin hid his crimes behind the veils of “bravery” and “honor” (Limerick 36). He claimed that he actually shot the man --...
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker burst upon the American Southwest in the Great Depression year of 1932. At the time of Clyde’s first involvement with a murder, people paid little attention to the event. He was just another violent hoodlum in a nation with a growing list of brutal criminals, which included Al Capone, John Dillenger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barker Gang. Not until Bonnie and Clyde joined forces did the public become intrigued. The phrase “Bonnie and Clyde'; took on an electrifying and exotic meaning that has abated little in the past sixty years.
Jesse James and Billy the Kid are almost perfect examples for the definition of outlaw. Billy and Jesse lead a life of defiance, always running from the law, their lives clinging to existence, hoping death was not a breath away While running from a governor or robbing a bank, both Billy and Jesse were not the type of men that stop and smell the flowers. It is hard to think that these two men were proud of all they had done, but their choices lead them to become legends and icons of the wild wild west, and their fast lives created senerios in the minds of young and old people everywhere. Their stories were embedded in the history of America, stories of two not so different men.
On the run leaving stores and banks empty and the police right on their tail. This is how possibly the most well known crime duo lived in the 1930’s. Going town to town and business to business looking to find their next big score. All with the cops always being one step behind and struggling to figure out the duo’s next move. This is the rough and interesting life of Bonnie and Clyde and the barrow gang.
When a child is growing up he is frequently asked what he is going to do for money when he gets older. The more this question is asked to them, the more they feel like they have to have money to be happy in life. After many tries of trying to make a stable life at a low paying job, a criminal life maybe more appealing to them at they may start living life under the gun. As stated by William Wilson in When Work Disappears, “Neighborhoods plagued by high levels of joblessness are more likely to experience low levels of social organization, they go hand in hand.” In Chicago for instance, in 1990 there was only one in three in the twelve ghetto communities that had held a job in a typical workweek of the year. When there are high rates of joblessness bigger problems surface such as violent crime, gang violence, and drug trafficking. (Wilson P356-362)
The case of Sacco and Vanzetti represented a deep division in American society. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who came to American in 1908. In 1920, Sacco was working in a shoe factory and Vanzetti was selling fish on the streets. On April 15, 1920 a double murder and robbery took place at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory where Sacco worked. Three weeks later, the two men were arrested for these murders and the robbery. They were put on trial one year later and found guilty of all charges. Sacco and Vanzetti were executed for their alleged crimes. Many experts today and back then agree that the prosecution did not present the two men to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. There were many conflicting factors during the trial. Sacco and Vanzetti were avowed anarchists, people who believed in the absence of government. Their radical ideas were considered unacceptable in a society that was at the time experiencing a deep hatred of non-democratic ideas. Their political beliefs and ethnic backgrounds worked to their disadvantage. The judge presiding over the case of Sacco and Vanzetti made clear hi...
Poverty has a direct effect on crime. The two topics can be associated in several ways beginning with the frame of mind individuals
These degenerates played an important role in American history, they were more than just bank-robbers and gunslingers, and they were men that affected all facets of society. They were celebrities, some of the most recognized men in America. Their evil deeds made the front page of every newspaper. They were some of the richest men in America, but most of all; they were the scapegoats for America's problems. They were hated by many, respected by few and feared by all.
The notorious killers, such as, Albert Fish and John Wayne Gacy, Jr. both came from broken homes. “Fish was five years old when his father died, and his mother placed him in an orphanage while she worked to support herself. Records also describe young Fish as a problem child who ‘ran away every Saturday,’ persistently wetting the bed until his 11th year” (Newton 76-77). In his case it was undoubtedly noticeable that there was an issue, yet his caretakers were not mindful of these issues. However, not all cases are the same. For example, Gacy’s father, John Gacy, Sr.,...
Poverty has a direct effect on crime. You can associate the two topics in several ways beginning with the frame of mind individuals have. Those who are impoverished, often come from single
In the United States there are specific areas that have been overwhelmed by the infestation of crime and violence and it appears to be at its peak in areas where poverty is high. Therefore, in this essay I will examine the connection between poverty and crime and attempt to prove relationships of the two. The link between poverty and crime is not a new discussion. In fact it has been an extremely controversial subject among many over the years. There have been arguments made stating that poverty does not have a direct link to crime based on countries that have very high poverty, however ...
Robbery rates have always fluctuated depending on many outside factors. Currently, we are experiencing a trend of decreasing robbery rates. The academics are intrigued and eager to see why this phenomenon is happening. This paper will examine and summarize the current state of academic literature on the relationship between poverty and robbery.