History of Death: Capital Punishment in the United States (Listener Request)
This week's episode comes at you via request from listener Peter.
He asked that I do a show all about the history of the death penalty in the U.S. And boy is it a dark - and gruesome - affair.
Tune in as I talk about the various methods, how it has evolved and what the Supreme Court has had to say about the matter.
Sources Used in This Episode:
Early History of the Death Penalty. Death Penalty Information Center. (LINK)
Description of Each Execution Method. Death Penalty Information Center. (LINK)
State by State: States with and without the Death Penalty 2021. Death Penalty Information Center. (LINK)
Was the Colonies' First Death Penalty Handed to a Mutineer or Spy? Natasha Frost. History.com. Aug. 2, 2018. (LINK)
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Drawing and quartering". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Jul. 2019, (LINK). Accessed 3 April 2021.
Bill 64. Gaye Wilson. The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. 5/1999. (LINK)
“64. A Bill for Proportioning Crimes and Punishments in Cases Heretofore Capital, 18 June 1779,” Founders Online, National Archives, (LINK). [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 2, 1777 – 18 June 1779, ed. Julian P. Boyd. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950, pp. 492–507.]
Using Nitrogen Gas for Executions is Untested and Poorly Understood. Three States Plan to do it Anyway. The Appeal. Lauren Gill. October 25, 2019. (LINK)
Death Row: 400 Years of Capital Punishment in America. Directed by Ron Meyer. Mill Creek Entertainment. 2016. Amazon Prime. (LINK)
Support the show (http://www.buymeacoffee.com/civicscoffeepod)
Listen On
Listener Favorites
Not sure where to begin? Take a listen to some fan favorites.
Mary Todd Lincoln: Part One
The wife of 16th President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln is generally known for her eccentric personality. However, there is so much more sitting beneath the surface. Join me this week as I begin the life and times of Mary …
The Massachusetts 54th
Depicted in the 1989 Hollywood feature film "Glory" the Massachusetts 54th was the first all black regiment to fight in the Civil War. Established in the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation, the members serving in the regiment had much riding …
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
During his eight years as president of the United States, Andrew Jackson passed one major piece of legislation: the Indian Removal Act of 1830. A bill set up to allow negotiations between the federal government and tribal nations for land …