By: Mark Brugnone

 Charles Arthur Floyd was born in Bartow County, Georgia in 1904  Family soon after moved to Oklahoma  He was one of many children  Family was poor farmers  No education  Married Ruby Hardgraves and they had a son, Charles Dempsey "Jack" Floyd  Charles was in prison when Jack was born  Hardgraves divorced Floyd during the latter part of his imprisonment  Had many run-ins with the law to escape Depression era poverty in America  He was called Pretty Boy Floyd from a girlfriend at a Kansas City boardinghouse even though he hated it

CrimesSentencing  September 16, 1925: payroll robbery  May 8, 1929: Vagrancy(a person who was idle, refused to work although capable of doing so, and lived on the charity of others)  November 24, 1930: Bank Robbery  October 22, 1934: killed a federal agent and a former sheriff  sentenced to five years in prison  fined $50.00 and sentenced to 60 days in jail  12–15 years in Ohio State penitentiary, but he escaped  attempted arrest but turned into the shooting of Charles

On June 17, 1933, a gunfight known as the "Kansas City massacre" occurred and resulted in the deaths of four law enforcement officers. The FBI used it as ammunition to go after Charles and it eventually led to his shooting. It is now debate whether Charles was actually involved, especially after Charles, who admitted to other crimes he committed, sent a note to the Kansas City police reading "Dear Sirs- I- Charles Floyd- want it made known that I did not participate in the massacre of officers at Kansas City. Charles Floyd".

Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is epitome of this theory as he wanted and was used to the high life was poor. He had to innovate by breaking the law to reach his goal of gaining wealth to maintain is life style. It is emphasized how difficult his culturally defined goals were during the great depression where the economy did not accommodate the legitimate way very well. Growing up as the poor family farmer boy in Oklahoma did not let Charles have a way to get his goals so he turned to crime. Not only that but he helped facilitate other poor people by destroying things like mortgages when he entered banks and people loved him for it.

 "The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd“ by Woody Guthrie  A film, Pretty Boy Floyd, was made in 1960 by Herbert J. Leder, starring John Ericson  In the video game Team Fortress 2, the Scout class has a weapon named the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol