Dillinger Outline

1. Introduction
    a. Thesis: Although the actions of John Dillinger and his gang created a bloody war on crime with the FBI, he increased the morale of Americans during the Great Depression by giving them thrilling real-life entertainment in a time of hardship and bitterness towards banks.

2. Public view on Depression-era banks
    a. The public opinion on banks in the Depression was low because of foreclosures and failures.
        i. Major commodity crops failed leading to drops in agricultural real estate values (3).
        ii. Foreclosures caused farmers to lose their homes and most belongings (26).
        iii. By the end of the decade, over 9,000 banks had failed. (27).

3. Public view on Dillinger
    a. The public adored and respected Dillinger for being a modern-day Robin Hood.
        i. Dillinger got rid of mortgage records during robberies (2).
        ii.  "(Bankers) became wealthy by cheating the honest man” (13).
        iii. During newsreels, moviegoers cheered when Dillinger appeared on screen (11).

4. John Dillinger and his Gang
    a. Dillinger didn’t care about foreclosures; he was in the business purely for profit.
        i. "He stood right in the way and kept throwing slugs at me. What else could I do?" (12)
        ii. Dillinger’s robberies were complex and carefully planned (11).
        iii. The people who idolized him only heard about his escapades in magazines (34).

5. FBI’s Opinion
    a.  Dillinger was the FBI’s number one priority not only because of the damage he was causing; civilians saw agents in a negative light for trying to take down their hero.
        i. Audiences of newsreels would boo and shout when agents appeared on screen (11).
        ii.  Dillinger became Public Enemy Number One.
        iii. The FBI started to pursue him when he drove a stolen car over state lines, which is a
                            federal crime (6).

6.  Death and Afterwards
    a. After Dillinger’s death, people seemed to come out of a trance and respect for Dillinger  

   almost disappeared.

        i. When Purvis shot Dillinger, he received fan mail from all around the country (7).
        ii. J. Edgar Hoover facilitated a change in media focus, resulting in more films revolving

  around FBI agents rather than gangsters (15).

iii. Purvis became known as “the man who got Dillinger”, and gained popularity after     

   killing Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson (30).