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The History of the Death Penalty
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n the United States, the death penalty is sometimes given to people who
are guilty of committing very serious crimes. These crimes could include
first-degree murder and treason, or betraying one’s country. Capital
punishment was brought to America by early settlers from Europe. In early
America, people who were found guilty of murder and
rape were routinely
executed, either by hanging or by a firing squad. Convicted
burglars, thieves,
and even
counterfeiters often received the death penalty. This was thought to
be a
deterrent to other criminals.
People began to feel that criminals were not evil. Instead, they were victims of
poverty, poor education, and lack of opportunity. Society should help criminals,
rather than kill them, they thought. Another reason for the change in thinking was
economic. Prisons were very expensive. Early American states could not afford to
keep many people in prison. Rather than keep them in prison, convicted criminals
were executed. But as society became richer during the Industrial Revolution,
prisons became more affordable for society. Because of this and other reasons,
keeping criminals in prison rather than executing them became a viable option.
By the mid-1800s, many states banned the death penalty except in the case of
convicted murderers. But those states were mostly the northern states. The
southern states kept the death penalty for many crimes. That trend continues in
modern America. Even today, most
executions happen in the southern states.
The southern states are considered more
