Death Penalty Cruel And Unusual Punishment Research Paper
Death Penalty- Cruel and Unusual Punishment? It is one of the biggest topics to debate over; is it right to execute or is it cruel and unusual? I for one, think that the death penalty should not be around. I believe it is the ‘easy way out’ for criminals. I believe if someone does something wrong, they should have the upmost punishment. Not only to be put to death and be done with the crime.
The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. King Hammurabi of Babylon codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. Many deaths were executed by crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement (DPIC 1). Many years later, in the tenth century A.D., Britain started using hanging …show more content…
The first recorded execution in the new colonies was of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. In 1612, Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, which provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians (DPIC 1). In America the first attempted revoke of the death penalty was when Thomas Jefferson introduced a bill to revise Virginia’s death penalty. It said that only murder and treason would have the death penalty. This was not passed because of one vote. In 1974 Pennsylvania got rid of the death penalty for all crimes except for first degree murder. When the abolitionist movement gained momentum in the northeast, many states reduced the number of their executions and built state penitentiaries.In the early 1800’s, Pennsylvania became the first state to pursue executions in correctional facilities. In the later 1800’s, Rhode Island and Wisconsin completely did away with the death penalty. After the Civil War, the electric chair was invented. New York built the first electric chair in 1888, and in 1890 executed William Kemmler. In 1924, the use of cyanide gas was introduced, as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its inmates. Gee Jon was the first person executed by lethal gas. The state tried to pump cyanide gas into Jon's cell while he slept, but this proved impossible, and the gas chamber was constructed (procon.org).In the 1930’s there were more executions in the United States than any other decade in American
The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. King Hammurabi of Babylon codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. Many deaths were executed by crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement (DPIC 1). Many years later, in the tenth century A.D., Britain started using hanging …show more content…
The first recorded execution in the new colonies was of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608. Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. In 1612, Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, which provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians (DPIC 1). In America the first attempted revoke of the death penalty was when Thomas Jefferson introduced a bill to revise Virginia’s death penalty. It said that only murder and treason would have the death penalty. This was not passed because of one vote. In 1974 Pennsylvania got rid of the death penalty for all crimes except for first degree murder. When the abolitionist movement gained momentum in the northeast, many states reduced the number of their executions and built state penitentiaries.In the early 1800’s, Pennsylvania became the first state to pursue executions in correctional facilities. In the later 1800’s, Rhode Island and Wisconsin completely did away with the death penalty. After the Civil War, the electric chair was invented. New York built the first electric chair in 1888, and in 1890 executed William Kemmler. In 1924, the use of cyanide gas was introduced, as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its inmates. Gee Jon was the first person executed by lethal gas. The state tried to pump cyanide gas into Jon's cell while he slept, but this proved impossible, and the gas chamber was constructed (procon.org).In the 1930’s there were more executions in the United States than any other decade in American