While the New Deal implemented many programs that tried to give relief to the American people, some weren't willing to accept the Depression and turned to crime. One of the most famous examples of this was the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde grew up in West Dallas, and had experience with crime from an early age, stealing things like turkeys and cars. After they met, Clyde was sent to prison for previous crimes, and Bonnie helped get him out, but this coincided with the beginnings of the Depression and jobs were scarce even for non-convicts. They instead turned to more crime, robbing banks, and in a stand-up that went wrong, they ended up murdering a grocery store clerk. Often, they never got money when they robbed places, because often they stole goods like food or clothes. Banks didn't have any money during the Depression, so rather than getting nothing or money that could barely buy anything, they stole things they actually needed, as their crime was inspired by a desperate need that mirrored the struggles of many people during the 1930s.
They died in a shootout on May 23, 1934, on their way home to visit their families. Despite their struggles, they made frequent visits to visit Bonnie's mother and Clyde's sister and mother, which allowed the police to stage an ambush and take them out, shooting over 130 bullets, which destroyed their bodies and car. Even though they were criminals, the American people admired their ideas, and after their death, 'fans' tried to cut off parts of Bonnie and Clyde at the scene of their deaths. Even those who didn't like them admired their ability to find a way to appear happy and successful in a time where no one had anything. They appeared in magazines and the media, as almost criminal celebrities, and are still romanticized today, with multiple movies, tv shows, and a musical centered on their fabulous life during one of the roughest points of American history.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde
https://www.thoughtco.com/bonnie-and-clyde-1779278
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-irresistible-bonnie-parker-59411903/
I like how you described Bonnie and Clyde's reaction to the New Deal and how they acted upon their dissatisfied opinions. While Bonnie and Clyde robbed many stores during the Great Depression and were infamous for their criminal attributes, you might also add that they were also lovers. Overall, great job on your post, you could also add more about their childhood; for instance, Clyde had grown up on a poor family farm which may have contributed to his resistance to the new deal.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post, I thought it was really informative, as I never know about how Bonnie and Clyde's crimes were connected to the failing economy. In my mind, I always just associated them with being infamous robbers who stole things for the thrill of it. The aspect of the story that interested me most was the glorification of them in the media that still persists to this day. Even though they are thought to have committed 13 murders, people still admired them because they were seen to be fighting against the system that was causing the Great Depression.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-and-Clyde-American-criminals
The connection you made between Bonnie and Clyde to the New Deal and the Depression is very eye-opening. Before reading this post, I never thought of the Depression as the motive for their crimes. You detailed how the American people viewed them as heroes, which I find strange, but after all, during the Depression, poverty was coming in from every angle.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde
Before reading this post, I never knew that Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree was motivated by America's horrible economic circumstances during the Depression as well as their rejection of New Deal policies. Overall, the Great Depression created a larger feeling of lawlessness, which lead to the increase in the authority of the FBI. After high-profile criminals like Bonnie and Clyde and robbers, killers, and bootleggers like George "Machine Gun" Kelly and "Baby Face" Nelson, to name a few, contributed to waves of crime throughout the US, FBI agents also became allowed to make arrests and carry arms as part of an anti-crime campaign under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/crime-in-the-great-depression
I also had no idea that Bonnie and Clyde were motivated to get their money by the Depression. I think it's interesting how people idolized Bonnie and Clyde despite the crimes they committed, probably harming a lot of people during the depression by robbing the banks in addition to the 13 people they killed and all the people that were injured during their crimes. Their legacy is enormous with so many movies and different adaptations of their crimes. They've been romanticized as criminal celebrities and as a result, lots of people have tried to somehow get a piece of the famous couple. Bonnie's family did not want them to be buried side by side, and nearly 20,000 people came to the funeral.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-and-Clyde-American-criminals
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1967/10/21/bonnie-and-clyde
https://www.biography.com/news/bonnie-and-clyde-9-facts-lifetime-movie-video
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bonnieclyde/