abolition of capital punishment

The Abolition of Capital Punishment
The first know execution in the United States of America was of Daniel Frank, put to death in 1622 in the colony of Virginia, for the crime of theft. (“History and Recent Developments”) Capital punishment justifies nothing, revenge is the only thing accomplished by penalizing someone to death. It is slightly difficult to determine if our ancestors considered execution cruel and unusual, and also pointless. But with our technologically and socially advanced society today, we cannot and shall not tolerate such a barbaric and uncivilized punishment, the death penalty. (“The Death Penalty Is No Longer Necessary”) In 1864, Michigan became the first English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish capital punishment. The law went into effect on March 1st, 1847. (The History of the Death Penalty”) The United States is the only western industrialized nation that practices the death penalty, and is by far, the nation with the largest death row roster ...