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. 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.

Table of Contents

• Publisher's Note
• Introduction
• Historical Timeline
• 1. Royal Traditions: Capital Punishment in the Colonies (1607-1670)
• 2. A Competition of Faith: Beginning of the Anti-Death Penalty Movement (1690s)
• 3. A Reason for Violence: America and the Ideals of the Enlightenment (1764-1790)
• 4. Acts of Cruelty: The Origins of Cruel and Unusual Punishment (1641-1790s)
• 5. The Roots of Abolition: Early Studies and Laws Against the Death Penalty (1792-1820)
• 6. A Private Affair?: “Jacksonian Reform” and Capital Punishment (1800-1850)
• 7. Mandating Death: States Struggle with Sentencing (1800s-1840s)
• 8. The First Reform: The Debate Begins in Earnest (1840s-1852)
• 9. The Second Reform: The Progressive Movement Takes on Capital Punishment (1900s)
• 10. Industrial Execution: Invention of the Electric Chair (1880-1890)
• 11. A Test of Cruelty: The Evolving Definition of Punishment (1878-1910)
• 12. A Deadly Air: The Gas Chamber Is Introduced (1920s)
• 13. Execution at War: The Military and Capital Punishment (1775-present)
• 14. Crimes Against the Nation: Treason, Sedition, and Espionage (1798-1953)
• 15. Random Acts: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1940s-1970s)
• 16. The Right to Kill: Ongoing Support for the Death Penalty (1950s-1970s)
• 17. A Commitment to Do No Harm: Physician Involvement and Lethal Injection in Capital Punishment (1970s-2000s)
• 18. Rational Behavior: Capital Punishment and Insanity (1920s—1980s)
• 19. Age of Guilt: Juvenile Offenders and the Criminal Justice System (1800s-2000s)
• 20. Wrongful Execution: The Fallibility of the Legal System (1912-1980s)
• 21. In the Interest of Survivors: The Victim's Rights Movement (1950s-present)
• 22. Death and Politics: A Rise in Support for the Death Penalty (1980s-1990s)
• 23. Extreme Crimes: Assassinations and Terrorist Attacks (1900s-present)
• 24. The Ability to Understand: The Death Penalty and Mental Capacity (1800s-present)
• 25. States of Execution: The Abolition Movement in Individual States (2000s)
• 26. Methods of Execution: Pharmaceutical Companies Become Involved in the Abolition Movement (2010s)
• 27. The Question of Deterrence: Societal Effects of the Death Penalty (1800s-present)
• 28. The Future of the Death Penalty: Changing Public Perceptions of Criminal Justice (2010s)
• 29. Conclusion: An Evolving History of Violence
• Primary & Secondary Sources
• Glossary
• Historical Snapshots
• Bibliography
• About the Author