American History

Jesse James A.K.A Robin Hood?
By George Beck, Ph.D.

When one thinks of Jesse James, initial thoughts are usually of the legendary Robin Hood-type gunslinging rural outlaw of the Old West during the post-Civil War period. Thoughts of Jesse as a larger-than-life folk hero depicted in hundreds of books, newspapers, magazines, dime novels, films, radio programs, storytelling and television shows come to mind. Synonymous with Jesse are the old western outlaws—their epic battles with law enforcement, the drama of avoiding capture and the ultimate showdowns on the deserted frontier street with the sunset high in the sky. Additional images of Robin Hood-like characters traveling across the developing nation—making camp in the vast openness, frequenting saloons, houses of fast women and other dens of inequity, are readily and easily envisioned as the prime recollection. “Jesse James, Oh yes, he was that guy who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor,” are typical responses. This imagery and belief has been honed and sharpened over years of representation and misrepresentation in popular culture.

The legend of Jesse James as an American outlaw has been front-page news since 1869. Coincidentally, this was the first time he was publicly labeled an “outlaw” when Missouri Gov. Thomas T. Crittenden set a reward for his capture. Since then, the legend of Jesse as the social bandit/Robin Hood—which many still find relatable and usable, regardless if the historical record is clouded with myth and falsehoods—began.

However, the assumption that Jesse and his James-Younger Gang were Robin Hoods of their time suffers from a lack of evidence. Take for example the fact that there is no evidence that the James-Younger Gang, which included notable outlaw Cole Younger, rescued a poor widow or starving child. Furthermore, there is no evidence any ill-gotten proceeds were divided up to anyone other than Jesse and his gang members.

There is evidence to support Jesse James being homicidal. When he made the front-page news in 1869 for robbing the Daviess County Savings Association Bank in Gallatin, Missouri on Dec. 7, the then 22-year-old Jesse killed the cashier. Yet, this homicide has been marginalized as a sort of mistake; several accounts indicate Jesse killed the cashier mistakenly thinking he was Samuel Cox, commander of the pro-Union militia troops who killed Bloody Bill Anderson in October 1864.

Therefore, the link between Jesse and Robin Hood is partly discerned from loose-ended similarity: both were outlaws, who lived outside the protection of the law, and in essence, were a law unto themselves. Moreover, Jesse’s elevation as a Robin Hood-type character really came about after his death when the James Gang appeared in dime novels that depicted them as pre-industrial models of resistance. It was during the Populist and Progressive era when Jesse was cemented as the quintessential Robin Hood, standing up against corporations in defense of the small farmer, robbing from the rich to feed the poor. Albeit, as previously mentioned, this ideal lacks evidence.

Also, of the seemingly endless accounts of Jesse James as the legendary Robin Hood figure, perhaps the best dramatic exploration of idolization of him was depicted in the most recent film, “The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.” This 2007 western drama is the visual adaptation of Ron Hansen’s fiction book by the same name. Actor Brad Pitt portrays Jesse in the last year of the James Gang at the final train robbery in 1881. It goes on beyond his untimely death in 1882 at the age of 34. The title of the film, coupled with history, tells the plot, so there is not much surprise in that respect. The film, as riveting and entertaining as it is, is predictably another visualization as to why Jesse is the quintessential American outlaw Robin Hood still thriving in contemporary popular culture. This movie is also an excellent example to illustrate the time in which Jesse heavily ascended into the records of folklore and legends—after his death.

There are over 29 motion pictures portrayals of Jesse James, again, mostly depicted as a Robin Hood-like character including “Jesse James Under the Black Flag,” 1921, and “Jesse James as the Outlaw,” 1921, star Jesse James, Jr. depicting his father in the films. As the decades pass, there seems to be an even interest, most visible by the number of productions per decade. In the 1920s, three movies were produced, 1930s saw two, 1940s had four, 1950s five, 1960s four, 1970s only one, 1980s and 1990s both two each, and the 2000s finished strong with four.

The historical representation of Jesse James is also found in ballads. Many of the ballads involve imagery of Jesse being larger than life. Take for example, perhaps, the most famous ballad appropriately titled “Jesse James.” This American folk song, first recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1924 and subsequently covered by numerous artists, to include Van Morrison, Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen, is all too telling. In this ballad, Jesse is portrayed again as a Robin Hood character who is larger than life.

Jesse’s legend as a Robin Hood-type character and symbol of the Confederate defiance of Reconstruction took off after his death on April 3, 1882, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. In the aftermath of Jesse’s death, Ford brothers Charley and Robert did not attempt to hide their role in Jesse’s death. They were indicted on first-degree murder charges, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to death by hanging and granted a full pardon by Gov. Crittenden all in one day. They went on to profit from Jesse’s (and their) celebrity later, starring in a touring show in which they re-enacted the shooting.

Thus, the catapulting of Jesse James into the forefront of thought on American consumers of popular culture accentuated on the pages of the dime novels, the sympathetic descriptions on radio shows, the imagery of motion picture plots and the like, transformed this criminal into one the best known Robin Hoods of his time. The historical reception of Jesse James supports this trajectory, through stories of legendary and epic proportions.

However, Jesse’s characterization is not based on fact, rather sympathetic accounts of his criminality, and whitewashing of his evil deeds of the past.