Includes bibliographical references (pages [747]-769) and index.
Contents:
Royal traditions: Capital punishment in the Colonies (1607-1670) -- A competition of faith: beginning of the anti-death penalty movement (1690s) -- A reason for violence: America and the ideals of the Enlightenment (1764-1790) -- Acts of cruelty: The origins of cruel and unusual punishment (1641-1790s) -- The roots of abolition: early studies and laws against the death penalty (1792-1820) -- A private affair?: 'Jacksonian Reform' and capital punishment (1800-1850) -- Mandating death: states struggle with sentencing (1800s-1850s) -- The first reform: the debate begins in earnest (1840s-1852) -- The second reform: the progressive movement takes on capital punishment (1900s) -- Industrial execution: the invention of the electric chair (1880-1890) -- A test of cruelty: the evolving definition of punishment (1878-1910) -- A deadly air: The gas chamber is introduced (1920s) -- Execution at war: the military and capital punishment (1775-present) -- Crimes against the nation: treason, sedition, and espionage (1798-1953) -- Random acts: the universal declaration of human rights (1940s-1970s) -- The right to kill: ongoing support for the death penalty (1950s-1970s) -- A commitment to do no harm: Physician involvement and lethal injection in capital punishment (1970s-2000s) -- Rational behavior: capital punishment and insanity (1920s-1980s) -- Age of guilt: juvenile offenders and the criminal justice system (1800s-2000s) -- Wrongful execution: the fallibility of the legal system (1912-1980s) -- In the interest of survivors: the victim's rights movement (1950s-present) -- Death and politics: a rise in support for the death penalty (1980s-1990s) -- Extreme crimes: assassinations and terrorist attacks (1900s-present) -- The ability to understand: the death penalty and mental capacity (1800s-present) -- States of execution: the abolition movement in individual states (2000s) -- Methods of execution: pharmaceutical companies become involved in the abolition movement (2010s) -- The question of deterrence: societal effects of the death penalty (1800s-present) -- The future of the death penalty: changing public perceptions of criminal justice (2010s) -- Conclusion: an evolving history of violence.
Summary:
"Few subjects are more controversial than capital punishment- an issue that has forced Americans, and people around the world, to confront fundamental questions about morality and the role of the state. This volume of Opinions Throughout History looks at the evolution of this debate within the context of major events in the history of American criminal justice, from the nation's first execution, in the famed Jamestown Colony of Virginia, to the cells of America's modern "death rows" in 2018, where more than 2,700 people await state execution. Tracing this history through the courts, the legislature, and the academic, religious, and popular debates that have surrounded the issue, this volume will reveal how American ideas about execution have evolved and continue to change as the nation moves deeper into the new century. Each chapter includes a valuable introduction and conclusion, a bulleted list of topics covered, a reprint of a particularly significant primary or secondary source document, detailed analysis and commentary of that document, images and photographs, and discussion questions." -- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.