Death Penalty Essay

In David M. Oshinsky’s book, Capital Punishment on Trial: Furman v. Georgia and the Death Penalty in Modern America, he discussed the case of Furman v. Georgia. He explores the controversy that capital punishment holds in the United States of America. The death penalty has been in practice for many centuries. For example, “In Massachusetts, where religion had played a key role in settlement, crimes like blasphemy, witchcraft, sodomy, adultery, and incest became capital offenses, through juries sometimes hesitated to convict” (Oshinsky, 2010). For the punishment of death these offenses do not fit the crime. However, capital punishment at this time was rarely criticized. The death penalty demanded many executions including public ones. Many of these were hangings and were public events. After the American Revolution the death penalty began to be questioned. For example, Benjamin Rush stated, “Capital punishments are the offspring of monarchial governments. Kings believe that they possess their crowns by a divine right. They assume the divine power of taking away human life” (Oshinsky, 2010). By the 1840’s there were organized groups opposing the death penalty such as the Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment. Within the coming years, the support for capital punishment fluctuated. Throughout the book, Oshinsky explores the many cases leading up to the Furman v. Georgia decision.

he death sentence has been around for all most all of our counties history starting with hangings and execution style deaths. The Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments stand behind the death penalty in the United States until the 1960’s when people started challenging the basic legal standards if the death penalty is correct. People started seeing the death penalty as a form cruel and unusual punishment and a way of it keeping our country in the “older times” During the mid-Nineteenth Century a movement called the Abolitionist Movement started to gain the county attention (especially in the Northeast) and the death penalty started to move out of the public eye and into correctional facilities. Pennsylvania being the first state to do so in 1834. Some of the first states to abolish the death penalty were

In 1608, George Kendall was the first person to be executed in American. He was executed for plotting to go against Britain for the Spaniard. In 1837, many states handed down death for just about anything a person. Like the state of South Carolina did not have a prison system so they did not have anywhere to housed condemned prisoners or no other solution With knowing this, South Carolina handed down death for any crime committed such as for murder, slave-stealing, bank robberies, arson, trying to help a slave escape, dueling, tying to help a slave read, or causing mayhem. Many execution were done publicly. Many of the town’s people would show up just to see a person being executed. There were often fighting among the people to try to get the best viewing of the execution. Michigan became the first state to abolish the death penalty in 1846 followed by Rhode Island in 1852 and Wisconsin in 1853. Both of these states were influenced heavily by religious groups to change or abolish their death penalty. With the push to abolish slavery in the United States, the movement for the abolishment of the death penalty began to gain some ground. During the Second Great Reform period which lasted from 1895-1917, Congress decided to pass a bill that would reduce the number of crimes that would constitute the death penalty. The “Maine Law was passed in Kansas in 1907 which abolish all death penalties. Within seven years, several other states followed pursuit and did the same. The states were Tennessee, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Arizona and Missouri. But, if a person was convicted of rape, then death was an option as punishment. Oregon and Arizona later brought back the death penalty. In 1964, the people in Oregon voted to abolish the death penalty all together. States were having difficulties abolishing the death penalty on their own so the courts were brought

During the colonial era, Britain was the biggest influence on America when it came to utilizing the death penalty. The death penalty was used for minor offenses such as stealing, killing animals, and trading with Indians. As the late 1700s approached, a movement towards abolishing the death penalty began. Beccaria wrote an essay in 1767 called “Crimes and Punishment,” that had a significant impact on the world’s opinion towards the death penalty (Bohm,1999). Beccaria suggested

In the nineteenth century the abolitionist movement gained momentum in the northeast. In the early part of the century, many states reduced the number of their capital crimes and built state penitentiaries.Pennsylvania was the first state to move executions away from the public people, it had to be done in

The authors describe the history of the death penalty statues in the United States and how

     There are many reasons to both support and oppose the death penalty. Many people can feel very strongly about whether or not they approve of this method of punishment. I feel that the death penalty is wrong, and I believe that there is much support to back this up. I believe that the death penalty is wrong because it is not an effective deterrent, racially and economically bias, unreliable, expensive, and morally wrong of society.

The death penalty has been around since the time of Jesus Christ. Executions have been recorded from the 1600s to present times. From about 1620, the executions by year increased in the US. It has been a steady increase up until the 1930s; later the death penalty dropped to zero in the 1970s and then again rose steadily. US citizens said that the death penalty was unconstitutional because it was believed that it was "cruel and unusual" punishment (Kurtis 67). In the 1970s, the executions by year dropped between zero and one then started to rise again in the 1980s. In the year 2000, there were nearly one hundred executions in the US (Biskupic 34). On June 29, 1972, the death penalty was suspended because the existing laws were no longer convincing. However, four years after this occurred, several cases came about in Georgia, Florida, and Texas where lawyers wanted the death penalty. This set new laws in these states and later the Supreme Court decided that the death penalty was constitutional under the Eighth Amendment (Biskupic 34).

Capital Punishment, killing a criminal through a lawful process, is one of the most highly debatable subjects in the world. Execution can be done in any of the following ways, beheading, electric chair, firing squads, guillotines, hanging, lethal injection, poison gas, crucifixion and stoning. The most popular form used in the United States of America is lethal injection. Some may argue that this is the most civil way of killing the criminal, but others would argue that the death penalty is not civil at all whatsoever. Capital Punishment is seen as primitive by many, but also beneficial to the public through retribution. The Death Penalty helps prevent future crime, helps economically, and enforces deserved punishment, but also as seen as

     When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, people are bombarded with news of arrests, murders, homicides, and other such tragedies. I believe murder, including the death penalty, is the worst thing that anyone could do. Since Hammurabi first introduced the notion of “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, people have been arguing over whether this is just punishment. Those in favor of the death penalty argue that people should pay for the crimes they do. For them, death is the only fit punishment in some cases. This is not the case. The death penalty is, rather, unethical and wrong. A death for another death does nothing but satisfy one's need for revenge. How often do these

rights. It is the cold blooded killing of a human being in the name of

Throughout the nineteen century, in America, hanging was the dominant method of execution and it was the nation’s first attempt to

Capital Punishment was introduced to America when European settlers came to the new world. In 1608, Captain George Kendall was the first execution recorded which was held in the Jamestown colony of Virginia. He was given the death penalty for being a spy for Spain. Four years later, the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws were approved by Virginia’s Governor Sir Thomas Dale. This new set of laws provided the death penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians. From colony to colony, laws pertaining to the death penalty differed. Although the Capital Laws of New England did not go into effect until years later, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had its first execution in 1630. The Duke’s Laws of 1665 was established in the New York Colony. These laws made it possible for offenses such as striking one’s mother or father, or denying the “true God,” punishable by death.

     Murder is the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice. This country believes killings someone under certain circumstances is acceptable; this should not be the case. Capital punishment, the death penalty, is the maximum sentence used in punishing people who kill another human being. It is one of the most controversial topics in America today. Capital punishment is still murder, simple as that. The death penalty needs to be abolished in all states. There are too many flaws that come with this punishment. Innocent people can be executed, it is morally wrong, and it does not discourage, or deter crime.

Death Penalty according to britannica.com is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. Death penalty is different from extrajudicial executions because death penalty is carried out with the due process of law but extrajudicial killing is not and death penalty is only prescribed by the judgement of a judge in court after a case trial.The death penalty can be traced back to the biblical times because Jesus Christ was sentenced to death through crucifixion by Pontius Pilate because it was believed that He committed treason which is a big offense as at that time (The Bible, Luke 23:26-49). T Even during pre-colonial times, it was the mode of punishment because it was