PART I. Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Champion Barrow are probably the most romantic and famous gangsters’ couple who lived in 1930th in the USA. That historical period was a time of mafia’s and gangsters’ prosperity as economy was in depression. However, none can be born as a criminal (perpetrator). Crime is a personal decision and responsibility.
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born on October 1st, 1910 in Rowena, Texas. She grew up in the suburbs of Dallas with her mother and grandparents as Bonnie’s father died when she was four. She was very slim and pretty young lady who loved to write poems since school age.(McGasko) Her poem “The Trail's End” is now known as “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde”. Being a high school student in 1926 Bonnie Parker got married to Roy Thornton. They lived only 3 years together but from 1929 their paths went in different directions, and they had never met again. As it was mentioned later the main reason for that were Thornton’s frequent problems with the law and an absence at home. However, they never were divorced and till the end of the life Bonnie was wearing Roy’s wedding ring. (McGasko) In 1930 in Texas, Bonnie met Clyde. At that time Roy Thornton was imprisoned for murder.( "Bonnie and Clyde." FBI)
Clyde Chestnut Barrow was born on March 24th, 1909 in a small town near to Dallas that was called Ellis Country. There were 7 children in Barrows’ family of poor farmers. Clyde had brushes with the law since 1926 when he was arrested for the first time. Despite his official jobs, Clyde kept robbing shops, breaking safes and stealing cars. While being in Eastham Prison Farm Barrow killed another prisoner. That was the first murder in his life. After Clyde emerged from the prison in 1932, he became absolutely different person. According to John Neal Phillips’ words, the main goal of Clyde Barrow was not to become famous from bank robbing but to get revenge against the prison system in Texas, to get a kind of satisfaction for all the abuses he suffered while being imprisoned. ("RESEARCH BONNIE AND CLYDE AMBUSHED AND KILLED (1934).")
In January 1930 Clyde has met Bonnie in a friend’s house. It was a true romantic story that was later represented in the Hollywood film. The movie was treated several times – in 1958, 1967 and 1992. Of course in this romantic film real events were changed, and main point was on the love story of two young criminals who became celebrity by robbing banks. The film shows us how loyalty and empathy of the audience can be attracted to the couple of robbers and gangsters. (Weschler)
The spree of the career of real Bonnie and Clyde was between 1932 and 1934. At first they started with small robberies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), that was called the Bureau of Investigation in that time, became interested in Clyde Barrow in 1932 by coincidence. One of the stolen Ford automobiles in Oklahoma was found in Michigan. Later there was found another Ford at Pawhuska, and it was stolen in Illinois. A search showed that these cars were occupied by man and woman. Other evidences that were found in these cars led FBI to Barrow’s aunt in Texas. It was revealed by further investigation that the woman in the car was Bonnie Parker.( "Bonnie and Clyde." FBI)
Starting from 1932 Bonnie and Clyde were travelling with a young gang man Raymond Hamilton. On April 1932 Bonnie was taken into jail but she released in June. Even being in prison she kept writing poems. Right after being released she joined her beloved Clyde. In 1933 Clyde’s brother Ivan M. “Buck” Barrow and his wife Blanche joined the band. They stayed in Joplin, Missouri and lived fun and noisy life full of alcohol, guns and card games. That attracted attention of the police and while escaping they killed Detective McGinnis.( "RESEARCH BONNIE AND CLYDE AMBUSHED AND KILLED (1934).")
On November 1933 the first big trap was set for Bonnie and Clyde in Texas. At that time all other members of the team were imprisoned. However, the couple managed to escape from officers’ gunfire. On April 1934 Bonnie and Clyde shoot two officers near Grapevine. Few days later they murdered a constable at Miami. ("Bonnie and Clyde." FBI)
Officer Hamer started tracking Bonnie and Clyde on February 1934, and he studied their movements through different states and thus he made possible to forecast their next step.( "RESEARCH BONNIE AND CLYDE AMBUSHED AND KILLED (1934).") Due to all the steps of the Bureau agents Barrow and Parker were shot on the 23rd of May, 1934 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
PART II. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
The Smoot-Hawley tariff Act was created on June 1930 and the main purpose was to increase the protection of farmers from foreign import traders. Fast increasing number of European importers after World War I caused a lot of problems for native domestic farms. Considering that in 1920s there was a high overproduction on agricultural market of Europe, prices rapidly decreased.( "Smoot-Hawley Tariff.") This law was not popular as being one step before the Big Depression Congress raised the tariffs on agricultural products in order to make unpopular and unprofitable being a farmer. This law was called to persuade people to start working in the industrial sector of the economy which was more profitable for the country at that time, and which could make the state more competitive on the international market. Because of difficulties and a slow tempo of implementing this Act caused reducing of the country’s export, and therefore, the level of total income was decreased as well. (Douglas , Kroszner)
Work cited
MCGASKO, JOE. "The Real Bonnie and Clyde: 9 Facts on the Outlawed Duo." (2013). Web. <http://www.biography.com/news/bonnie-and-clyde-9-facts-lifetime-movie-video>.
"Bonnie and Clyde." FBI. FBI, 21 May 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde>
"RESEARCH BONNIE AND CLYDE AMBUSHED AND KILLED (1934)." (2014). Web. <http://mikepricecan.com/tag/history/>.
Weschler, Raymond. "Bonnie and Clyde (Drama) ( 1967)." Print. <http://www.eslnotes.com/movies/pdf/bonnie-and-clyde.pdf>
Bonnie and Clyde. 1967. Film. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRYp6Xos79k>
"Smoot-Hawley Tariff." Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html>
Irwin, Douglas A., and Randall S. Kroszner. "Log-Rolling and Economic Interests in the Passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff." Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy 45 (1996). University of Chicago. Web. <http://www.chicagobooth.edu/assests/stigler/124.pdf>.
