How Is The Death Penalty Used In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the trial in the novel is one of the most important incidents that takes place in the text. It is very important to our understanding of the text as a whole as it shows the racial discrimination in that time period of the 1920 – 1930’s and how society in the 20th century has improved and has become more accepting of different races throughout the world as a whole. The topics that will be discussed in this essay are the trial and how it represented a prejudiced society, what happened after the trial and the effects that the trial had on the children.

Capital punishment in America developed as a result of the influence of the British when they settled in America. They brought with them the laws that include capital punishment. The earliest form of death penalty ever recorded was that of Captain Georg Kendall in the year 1608 in Jamestown Colony, Virginia. Kendall’s execution was attributed to his being a spy of Spain. Captain Georg Kendall was a member of the first council that was appointed in Jamestown in Virginia colony. In that year, he was executed by a firing squad making him the first person to have ever been sentenced to death in the United states.

The death penalty was first developed in the Eighteenth Century B.C. by King Hammurabi who mentioned death as a punishment over 20 times. In Britain around the Tenth Century A.D., the method of hanging was extremely common. Other methods developed over time such as boiling, beheading, burning at the stake and quartering. In order to be ‘executed’ the criminals would commit capital offenses such as not being honest to a law officer or treason. As time passed, the amount of criminals executed grew larger every year and the government in England knew something had to change. Therefore, the death penalty was reduced by about 45%. The first usage of the death penalty recorded in America was the death of Captain George Kendall in 1608. He was caught as a spy for Spain which lead to his violent death. In 1612, the Governor of Virginia, Sir Thomas Dale began the Divine, Moral and Martial Laws, which allowed the death penalty for multiple small crimes. The death penalty became inactive in the early

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, addresses many controversial issues such as racism, discrimination, and social classes through the voice of a six-years old girl, Scout Finch. Especially, the concept of racism is explored in detail as one of the central plots through the accusation of Tom Robinson, which becomes a significant point of life to Scout and to the novel. Following the events Scout experiences, the author vividly presents the effects of racism on the citizens of Maycomb.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee explores several different issues which are still relevant in today’s society. Harper Lee uses conventions within the novel to convey these ideas. The three main issues Lee explores are; Importance of Moral Education, Prejudice and Bravery and Courage.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel published in 1960, included is many issues the characters have to face. One of the problems Tom Robinson has to face is death penalty after being accused of rape.The fairness of capital punishment and what affects it has on the Eighth Amendment is still a problem faced today.

All in all, the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro Trials were three historical concepts Harper Lee used frequently in her story. In To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses these concept to influence, enrich, and ultimately determine the plot. Ultimately, it was with these critical connections that this American classic has been able to have the profound effect it has had on its readers over the years.

The death penalty, as we know it today, didn’t exist in the United States until 1976. However, the American penal system has incorporated capital punishment since the earliest settlements were founded in the early 1600’s. The first recorded execution in the United States occurred in 1608 in Jamestown, Virginia when Captain George Kendall was executed just one year after the Jamestown settlement had been established after he had been convicted of being a spy for Spain (Part I: History of the Death Penalty). Over the next 250 years, several states moved toward abolishing capital punishment altogether. While there has been serious push towards ending capital punishment, more than half of state governments within the United States cling onto their right to execute criminals who perform truly heinous crimes.

A study on capital punishment, by professor David C. Baldus, was published in 1983 showing the statistics of racial bias within capital punishment. This study showed that between 1973-1979 killers whose victims were white were eleven times more likely to be put on death row than killers whose victims were black. Many other studies have shown equal numbers when involving the system’s treatment of black and white. Between 1976-1995 245 convicts were executed. 84% of their victims were white, although less than 50% of all murder victims were

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is about a young girl named Scout in the 1930s. Living in the south, she learns about the real world dealing with rape when her father, Atticus, a well known lawyer in their town, takes on a case of dealing with an unfair treatment of an African American. A statement of theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is that you should take the energy of hatred and judgement and use it to get to know the person. Even though the novel was written and published in 1960, the novel’s theme is still of great importance today as it was back then, and will be in the future. Today's society is so quickly to jump to a conclusion about a person by just looking at them or hearing rumors about them. Coparenting relates to To Kill a

Most literature, fictional or nonfiction, has some theme. That theme can be linked to anything: real life, your social life, or just applies to you personally. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is an amazing piece of literature. Telling the story of discrimination from previous ages, through the seven year old protagonist Scout Finch. Written as a memoire of Harper Lee’s own personal experience with racism, this book outlines all forms of discrimination: sexism, classism, racism, and domestic abuse.

n the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that important life lessons that are taught at young ages from experience or words of wisdom can impact an individual. In the novel, Harper Lee tells a story about a five year old girl named Scout experiencing problems during her childhood and how the events that occur make her understand the community around her. Taking place in the South during the 1930's, it is a time that brims with great prejudice and racial injustice. The novel unravels as an account of injustice to the most innocent yet unlawfully accused people in Maycomb.

For centuries, capital punishment has been used as a consequence of capital crime. Criminals who have committed such crimes are subject to facing the death penalty. Pickens shares, “Capital crimes are considered to be treason or terrorist attacks against the government, crimes against property when life is threatened, and crimes against a person that may include murder, assault, and robbery.” Dating back to 1608, the execution of George Kendall is believed to be one of the first recorded cases of capital punishment in the United States (Pickens). Kendall was sentenced to death for aiding the Spanish, which was considered to be a treasonable act at the time (Pickens). Throughout the history of the country, the death penalty has continued to remain an acceptable form of punishment for prisoners convicted of capital crime. Currently, capital punishment is authorized in thirty-one states (“States and Capital Punishment”). In those thirty-one states, five methods are used for execution: lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad (Bushman). Capital punishment should not be a permitted form of punishment in the United States. The use of capital punishment has shown to be an ineffective deterrent of crime, is unconstitutional, and is an expensive process.

Throughout Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, many political and social issues occur. One major political issue in this book is unequal justice in the judicial system, or racial discrimination. Socially, poverty, child abuse, and gender discrimination are all issues present throughout the book. Although some of these occurrences may be minor, they all significantly impact the outcome of the book.

The Death Penalty has been used in the United States since the very foundation of our nation; the first recorded case was the execution of Captain George Kendall in 1608 in the Jamestown colony as it was believed Kendall was a spy (DPIC). Americans have seen executions throughout history and are somewhat exposed to the idea but the 21st century is a very different place than the 17th century. This century is a time of equality and rights for people of all