Billy the kid

Who Was Billy The Kid?

  • Billy the kid was a normal kid born in 1859 with a non capable father and a normal mother. So when his mom died on September 16th, 1874, his father left him at an orphanage at 14 years old. Soon billy found himself with the wrong crowd and began his life of crime. Starting off with just stealing necessities. He began to repeatedly escape jails. Being on the run for 7 years, killing anyone who stood in his way including 8-9 people until brutally shot by sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14th 1881.

Connections:

Sheriff Pat Garrett:

Garrett was on the lookout for Billy for 3 months after he escaped from jail right before his execution

As a sheriff, he made it his duty that Billy has to be stopped.

Born in Chambers County, Alabama on June 5, 1850, Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was one of seven children born to John and Elizabeth Garrett. Three years later, Pat’s father, John Garrett, purchased a Louisiana plantation in Claiborne Parish, where young Garrett grew up.

The Town:

Knowing who Billy was from wanted signs and the jail house, the town had fear in their eyes knowing that a wild serial killer was on the loose. But Billy didn't wipe out people for no reason. Therefore, a lot of people didn't care.

Essential Question:

How was Billy the Kid Important and how did he affect everyone then and now?

  • He was important because he was one of the most well known and dangerous criminals. And he was only a teen for most of his criminal years. This means if people didn't know who he was, they would let their guard down and something violent could go down.
  • He influenced people then by putting fear into everyone, making them watch out wherever they go and influenced people today by letting us know what could be done back then and how easy it was to be on the run. Nowadays, that wouldn't last long. It lets us compare then vs now.

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