Jesse James was born in Clay County, Missouri, on September 5, 1847. His parents were Zerelda and Robert James. They were hemp farmers who owned six slaves, but most people didn't know that. They only know him as an outlaw. However, the name "Jesse James" is one that almost everyone has heard, even though he has been dead for over a hundred years. (Defeat n. pag.) Now, although Jesse James was a traditional outlaw in many ways, his legend endures as an icon of American culture. When the Civil War began, Jesse had to watch his older brother Frank go off to fight for the rebellion. While Frank was away, he became involved with a pro-Confederate group “that drew the ire of Union militiamen against the James family. Jesse was beaten up and his stepfather was tortured for information. This may have been the spark that ignited Jesse's flame.” (Death n. pg.) In the spring of 1864, at the age of sixteen, Jesse James joined a group led by "Bloody Bill" Anderson. They terrorized pro-Union enemies in Missouri. James was still a teenager at the time and probably very impressionable. He participated in several violences with this group, including the infamous "Centralia Massacre", where twenty-two unarmed Union soldiers and one hundred others were mostly massacred. It was experiences like this that helped shape the man Jesse James would become. (Notorious pg. na.)Most of the group's members returned to normal civilian life after the war ended. They stopped violence and returned to agriculture and work. Jesse and Frank James couldn't do the same. The brothers did not feel the same peace as everyone else. They felt a sense of humiliation over the Confederate defeat. Jesse...... middle of paper....... (Death n. pag.)Jesse and his gang have been robbing banks and trains for a long time, almost immune to the law. They were welcomed and cared for by Confederate "sympathizers" and continually fled the authorities. Perhaps Jesse began to believe in his own invulnerability, and this could very well have been responsible for his death. WORKS CITED Theearn, Robert G. The mythical west. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986. “The Death of Jesse James.” April 2008. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/james/."The Defeat of the Jesse James Days Celebration." April 1, 2008. Fenton, Robert. Personal interview. April 2008. History enthusiast. "Jesse James." FrontierTimes. April 1, 2008 "NOTOMOUS OUTLAW MURDERED." The Democratic Globe. November 4, 1879. April 1, 2008 Stiles, T J. Jesse James. New York: Vintage Books, 2003.