Capital Punishment The Death Penalty - 931 Words

Capital punishment, commonly known as the death penalty, is one of the most controversial subjects that divides the nation. When, why, and how did this barbaric practice begin? Understanding the history of capital punishment, the methods used, and the con’s of this immoral act will prove this form of punishment should be forever abolished! First, in order to understand how morally wrong capital punishment is, we must understand the history of this practice. According to www.deathpenaltyinfo.com, â€Å"the first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon.† During that unforgiving time, almost every crime was punished by execution. To be more specific, the site goes on†¦show more content†¦The crime this man committed was spying for Spain. Most executions, at that time were considered public. In an article, â€Å"The Death Penalty: An American History,† written by Ferrall, Bard R, it is stated that â€Å"Execution was highly public and was regarded as a function performed by the people and the community.† This means all men, women, and even children were witnesses. Thankfully, it was finally decided that executions should be only carried out in private! During the 19th century, Pennsylvania became the first state t o move executions into the privacy of a correctional facility. Currently, there are two commonly used methods of execution that are the go to for the death penalty. These methods include the electric chair and lethal injection. Richard Cavendish’s article, published in History Today, Volume 65 (2015), it is stated that â€Å"the electric chair was invented by employees at Thomas Alva Edison’s works at West Orange, New Jersey in the late 1880s†. Apparently, Edison was embarrassed and â€Å"wanted to see capital punishment abolished altogether†.(Cavendish, 2015) If the creator of this form of punishment was embarrassed of it, why aren’t we? He goes on to say the first victim was actually a horse, which is also immoral, but the poor animal was just a test subject. The first human being to be executed by electrocution, on August 6th, 1890, was William Kemmler for murder. Now, most states have switched to lethal