Imagine an innocent man being accused of a horrendous crime that he did not commit, forced to endure a trial in which he could not vilify himself. The horror seems to have reached a point where it could not possibly get any worse, when the sentence comes, the death penalty. Many Americans throughout history have been put through this scenario. While some are later saved from this fate, others die innocent. No person should have to endure this fate. Many people are completely unaware that the United States executes more of its own citizens than any other nation on earth (Henderson 1). As evidenced by this fact, the death penalty, or capital punishment, is declining in the world, most countries choosing to ban it altogether. Not only is the …show more content…
Over the course of the next 100 years, 222 offenses were punishable by death in Britain including, "stealing, cutting down a tree, and robbing a rabbit warren" (History Death p. 1). This ridiculous punishment for petty crimes reflected not an unforgiving populous, but instead a dysfunctional government system. Towards the end of the Seventeenth Century, the belief that capital punishment was to be abolished became known as the abolitionist movement. The eras great thinkers began to respond by attacking this issue, and many others with a ferocity that the people of the world could not ignore. Most notable was Cesare Beccaria's work, arguing that "there was no justification for the state's taking of a life" (History Death p. 1). Beccaria's words resonated with people, forcing the issue. The question became whether or not, in any scenario, the life of a citizen should be taken by a government. The countries of Austria and Tuscany responded to Beccaria's convicting words by outlawing the death penalty in every case (History Death p. 1). The value of the lives of the citizens is one of the core purposes and foundations of government. When it is evident that the lives of the governed are no longer valued, the structure of the government itself should be