the death penalty

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In colonial America during the 1600’s, European settlers were the first people to bring the death penalty into the United States. Since there were no prisons at that time, the death penalty became regular punishment for crimes. During the 1700’s, Thomas Jefferson came up with a proposal to alter the punishment laws in Virginia. Only defeated by one vote, the bill proposed the death penalty only be allowed for offenses of treason and murder(History). Capital punishment was the main source for executing criminals and other accused individuals for their wrongs in that time. However, the coming of the 21st century has slowly made capital punishment more obsolete. Many people may argue that the death penalty is an immoral and unconstitutional way to punish criminals, but in fact, I say that the death penalty is a fair way to get rid of worthless people in America. Although the thought of the death penalty may sound irrational to some, to others the act of execution is necessary and needed.
In the 1600’s and 1700’s the death penalty was widely popular but as the constitution and other laws for the land were being created, law makers began to slowly cut out executions as an act of punishment. Argued in many court cases and being debated over the years, the death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment, is still highly disputed in all 50 states. While 18 states eliminated the death penalty, 32 still believe in and use the death penalty for the ultimate punishment(States). Many disagree with the banning of the death penalty in some states because they believe that, as Thomas Jefferson proposed, it should be legal under the circumstances of treason or murder. The various punishments include lethal injection, which is t...

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...rongs, while I firmly believe that the death penalty helps deter crime, bring closure to families, and give what is deserved.

Works Cited

Dobbs, Greg. “State Inmates Convicted of Murder Deserve Their Fates.” Denver Post. 17 March 2013: D.4 SIRS Issues Researchers. Web. 29 April 2014.
ProQuest Staff. “At Issue: Death Penalty/ Capital Punishment” ProQuest LLC. 2014. N. pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 April 2014.
Stewart, Gail B. “The Death Penalty” San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Print. 28 April 2014.
Gregg, Zoraya. “States Engage in Shadowy Deals as Death Penalty Drugs Dwindle.” USA Today. 10 March 2014. A.1 SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 April 2014.
“States With and Without the Death Penalty.” DPIC. Web. 5 May 2014.
“Furman v. Georgia.” Furman v Georgia. Web. 6 May 2014
"Part I: History of the Death Penalty." DPIC. Web. 5 May 2014.

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