Modern Day Death Penalty: Furman V. Georgia

The establishment of the death penalty dates back to around the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. Over the years, the death penalty and its purpose has varied and changed. Furman versus Georgia is what sparked the modern day death penalty era. The Supreme Court Case dealt with an African-American man, William Henry Furman, in which he was convicted of murder. The decision that resulted from Furman versus Georgia enforced many states along with the national legislature to reevaluate their level of capital offense in order to guarantee that the death penalty would not be conducted in an unjust manner. The outcome of the decision from Furman versus Georgia triggered confusion concerning the death penalty. It led