A
Time Line of Capital
Punishment in the US |
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George Kendall hanged in Jamestown Colony; first known execution in U.S. |
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A Massachusetts Bay Colony code mandated the death penalty for 12 offenses. |
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Formation of the American Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment |
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Michigan becomes first state to completely abolish the death penalty. |
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William Kemmler becomes first person executed by electrocution. |
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Nine states abolish the death penalty for all crimes, or strictly limit it. |
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The use of cyanide gas is introduced as an execution method. |
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Aug. 23--Massachusetts executes Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. |
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Executions in the United States reach an all-time peak, averaging 167 a year. |
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Last recorded public execution in the United States occurs in Missouri. |
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The last federal government execution is held this year. |
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Luis Jose Monge executed in Colorado's gas chamber. His death is the last before an unofficial moratorium on executions. |
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June 29--Furman v. Georgia invalidates death penalty statutes across the country: Death sentences are overturned and numerous inmates are re-sentenced to life in prison. |
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Charles Brooks becomes the first person executed by lethal injection. |
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The execution of insane persons is banned in | Ford v. Wainwright.
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The Supreme Court rules in Perry v. Lynaugh that the execution of individuals with mental retardation is not a per se violation of the 8th Amendment. |
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The Supreme Court rules in Herrera v. Collins that, in the absence of other constitutional grounds, new evidence of innocence is no reason for a federal court to order a new trial. |
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Sept. 13--President Clinton signs a crime bill greatly expanding the number of crimes for which one can receive the federal death penalty. |
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The American Bar Association calls for a moratorium on all executions until courts can ensure that such cases are "administered fairly & impartially in accordance with due process." |
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Timothy McVeigh is the first man to be executed under the Federal Death Penalty statute in 38 years. |
Sources: Amnesty International; Death Penalty Information Center |