Death penalty in the United States is thought of others as a non important subject when in my opinion has changed America for the better as our past made America what it is today. There are three subjects from the early colonization period of America that will be discussed in the next couple segments. One of which is the death penalty's history. Another subject would also include the death penalty among the states themselves and how different death penalties were used and how they have evolved over time. The final topic that will be discussed is how the death penalty was disproportionately used among races, as with the colonial times there were still slaves and the white majority ruled.
Britain played a major role in the death penalty being brought over to the colonial times in America, “When the first european settlers came to new world,they brought the practice of capital punishment”( H Bedua.) In Virginia, Jamestown in 1608 the first recorded execution happened to captain George Kendall. “Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain” (H Bedua.) In 1612 Divine,Moral,and Martial laws were made which made the death penalty punishable for some of the most minor crimes such as
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As the country progressed so did the death penaltys as they moved from the public scene and into facilities, “Executions started to shift from outdoor public spectacles into correctional facilities in 1834” ( The History Of Capital Punishment In America.) Lethal injection is one of the death penaltys used which was first adopted by Oklahoma. “ In 1977 Oklahoma first adopted the lethal injection and by 1982 32 states used it” ( Methods Of Exucation.) Theres only three more states that use hanging as a primary method as an alternative method for the lethal injection. “ Delware,Washington, and New Hampshere use hanging as a primary method in place of lethal injection” ( Methods Of