This book showcases and explains key primary documents that reflect and have influenced the history of capital punishment in the United States. By presenting and examining a wide range of fascinating and momentous documents, including court decisions and transcripts, legislation, personal accounts and perspectives, congressional testimony, and government documents issued from all political perspectives, students will gain valuable insight into the evolution of public opinion and government policy on the death penalty in America. To better understand these documents, each primary source is prefaced with an introduction and followed by scholarly analysis. These documents and accompanying analysis complement one another, helping students gain a better and more accurate understanding of the viewpoints, convictions, and perspectives that have shaped American attitudes and practices toward capital punishment since the United States’ earliest days.
Features
- Provides a detailed overview of the history of—and controversies about—capital punishment in the United States
- Offers a unique mix of government documentation, court cases, and political/social advocacy perspectives
- Expert commentary supplies context to primary documents on capital punishment
- Readers Guide to Related Documents organizes all featured primary sources by theme for researchers