Sometimes we never know what causes people to become criminals. For Jesse James and his gang it was the cruelty of the Civil War that led them into the life of violence and crime. It wasn’t the first crime that Jesse and his brother Frank committed but it was the first time he was seen as an outlaw. Local newspapers had called him an outlaw and convinced the governor to offer a reward. Jesse was part of the James-Younger gang. The gang formed in Missouri because they did not adapt to society after the civil war. They committed some crimes in Missouri but a former gang member told the police who was in the gang and about what they wanted to do. They traveled to Minnesota because they wanted to go somewhere where nobody had heard of them or knew they were …show more content…
On the other hand he was a cold blood killer, a bank and train robber, and a horse thief. Jesse was 5’11’’ tall and weighed 170 Lbs. He had dark brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and had fair skin. He had a slight build and often had facial hair. Jesse James was one of America’s most famous criminals. He was shot and killed by one of his new gang members Bob Ford. His brother convinced him to kill Jesse and for them to collect the reward money. For over 16 years Jesse and Frank committed crimes and killed people all across the Midwest. One thing many people do not know is locals were sympathetic to the brothers because they were ex-southern guerrillas. For the most part they robbed a few banks a year and kept a low profile. Apart from being one of the most famous criminals I choose Jesse James because my dad has always joked about him being my cousin. His mother’s maiden name is Cole and she was from Eastern Kentucky and my Great Grandma’s maiden name is Cole and she is also from Easter Kentucky from the same time. I am not sure if we are related but there is a chance and it would be pretty cool to be related to Jesse