Celebrities without apparent talents have continuously dominated American popular culture since the nation’s beginnings in the seventeenth century. Across this time and space, the Old American West took center stage as a region filled with new opportunities and lawlessness. Outlaw Jesse James became no exception to this reality due to his popularity nationwide during his lifetime even today. However, modern and postmodern ideas heavily influenced how popular culture immortalized Jesse James. Modern popular culture often idealized James through his actions against Union soldiers following the Civil War. Postmodern popular culture, on the other hand, sought to observe James’s darker side as a multifaceted individual with inner turmoil. Thus,
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This guerilla group quickly became known across the United States for their brutality against captured Union soldiers and Union supporters. Their region of terror continued throughout Missouri until the deaths of several guerilla leaders during Reconstruction. However, after the conclusion of the Civil War, Frank and Jesse James continued their outlaw careers with fellow bushwhackers Cole Younger to form the James-Younger Gang. The initial James-Younger Gang conducted robberies throughout the Midwest until 1876 when one robbery led to the capture of all members but Frank and Jesse. Both brothers naturally tried to settle down in response to their narrow escape with their families, but Jesse soon returned to his life of crime by reorganizing a new James-Younger gang. His career would end in April 1882 at thirty-four years old upon being shot in the head by Robert Ford. Ultimately, by analyzing these aspects of Jesse James’s life, historians can now understand why his experiences have continued to captivate Americans throughout …show more content…
Additionally, with the rise of cinematography during the twentieth century, the Robin Hood comparison remained center stage portrayals of Jesse on the big screen. Modern films like Jesse James (1939) continuously portrayed Jesse through the lens of a young man who had lost his home to Northern “invaders.” This portrayal soon became deeply praised by critics at the time for depicting the outlaw as a sympathetic figure rather than a violent criminal. Unfortunately, for many postmodern critics and scholars, these praises consequently displayed the prevalence of the Lost Cause in modern American popular culture. Of course, as the United States transitioned into the postmodern period, the representation of Jesse James likewise shifted with the changing times. A principal issue of James’s contemporary portrayal emerged from its failure to discuss how religion influenced the actions of Jesse James. With knowledge of James’s revivalist Baptist upbringing, postmodern films slowly began discussing the outlaw’s dark
This guerilla group quickly became known across the United States for their brutality against captured Union soldiers and Union supporters. Their region of terror continued throughout Missouri until the deaths of several guerilla leaders during Reconstruction. However, after the conclusion of the Civil War, Frank and Jesse James continued their outlaw careers with fellow bushwhackers Cole Younger to form the James-Younger Gang. The initial James-Younger Gang conducted robberies throughout the Midwest until 1876 when one robbery led to the capture of all members but Frank and Jesse. Both brothers naturally tried to settle down in response to their narrow escape with their families, but Jesse soon returned to his life of crime by reorganizing a new James-Younger gang. His career would end in April 1882 at thirty-four years old upon being shot in the head by Robert Ford. Ultimately, by analyzing these aspects of Jesse James’s life, historians can now understand why his experiences have continued to captivate Americans throughout …show more content…
Additionally, with the rise of cinematography during the twentieth century, the Robin Hood comparison remained center stage portrayals of Jesse on the big screen. Modern films like Jesse James (1939) continuously portrayed Jesse through the lens of a young man who had lost his home to Northern “invaders.” This portrayal soon became deeply praised by critics at the time for depicting the outlaw as a sympathetic figure rather than a violent criminal. Unfortunately, for many postmodern critics and scholars, these praises consequently displayed the prevalence of the Lost Cause in modern American popular culture. Of course, as the United States transitioned into the postmodern period, the representation of Jesse James likewise shifted with the changing times. A principal issue of James’s contemporary portrayal emerged from its failure to discuss how religion influenced the actions of Jesse James. With knowledge of James’s revivalist Baptist upbringing, postmodern films slowly began discussing the outlaw’s dark