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Capital Punishment Research Paper

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Capital Punishment Research Paper
Learn From History The first established laws of capital punishment trace back to the eighteenth century B.C.E. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. An examining of the accounts of capital punishment starting with Hammurabi and continuing through the present demonstrates that the punishment’s history follows a trend. Throughout the course of history, the trend of capital punishment has gone from its devaluing of human life to its being protective of human life; historically, a completely innocent person was put to death for something as minor as holding a belief, whereas presently only the most heinous crimes merit such punishment. Capital punishment has gone through countless revolutions as human intelligence has advanced. The advancement of human intelligence led to increased focus on the preciousness of human life. As human life becomes closer to being considered priceless, the belief that no crime can justify the intentional killing of its perpetrator continues to gain popularity. This belief indicates that complete abolishment of capital punishment is approaching. In the United States, capital punishment was first instituted for even mirror crimes, but has progressed to being used conservatively, evidence of the approaching conclusion of the trend of Capital Punishment: complete abolishment. Comparing the similar histories of capital punishment between the United States and France also suggests the complete abolishment of capital punishment. The first colony established in America was Jamestown in 1607. The long history of capital punishment in America began shortly after the arrival of the colonizers of Jamestown in 1608. Captain George Kendall is known as the first recorded person to be executed in America. Kendall was revealed as a spy for Spain, the reason for his execution (Frontline: the execution...). Treason, a crime punishable by death in all colonies, did not infer colonies were governed by a uniform code of laws regarding


Cited: Anckar, Carsten. Determinants of the Death Penalty: A Comparative Study of the World (Routledge Research in Comparative Politics). New York: Routledge, 2004. "capital punishment: History” Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com. 19 Nov. 2008 . "Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty” | Death Penalty Information Center. Google. 19 Nov. 2008 . "Death Penalty: 25 Years After Abolition, France Fosters Uncertainty." IPS Inter Press Service. 19 Nov. 2008 . "Death Penalty in the United States." US Politics - Guide To The US presidential election, legislation, and political news and opinion. 19 Nov. 2008 . “Death Penalty Information Center "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The Espy File” r. 19 Nov. 2008 . "frontline: the execution: readings: history of the death penalty." Google. 19 Nov. 2008 . “Death Penalty Information Center "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The Espy File” r. 19 Nov. 2008 . "The Colonial Laws of New York." Google Book Search. 19 Nov. 2008 . Zimring, Franklin E.. The Contradictions of American Capital Punishment (Studies in Crime and Public Policy). New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.
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