Death Penalty Lesson

Learning Objectives

• Student should know about the history of the death penalty
• Student should know why the death penalty causes controversy
• Student should be able to come up with their own educated opinion on the death penalty

Background Summary
The death penalty has caused some major controversy in the United States. The death penalty has been controversial for many years. Michigan was the first state to outlaw the death penalty in 1846. Since then, some states followed their example and outlawed the death penalty, although most states still allow it. The death penalty is currently legal in 32 states. The image shows the states that  allow the death penalty (green=banned, red=legal). There are four common ways to put someone to death. These methods include lethal injection, which is the most common, electric chair, hanging, and firing squad (not very common). Lethal injection is also dying out because US pharmaceutical companies are refusing to supply the drugs required to kill someone. One method that was used was a gas chamber but that was quickly removed as a plausible method of execution. In many states, capital punishment is used for extreme crimes such as treason and 1st degree murder. On an international scale, after WWII, the UN went on a campaign to end capital punishment because everyone has a right to life. Below is a graph that shows the countries that banned the death penalty by year. This day, the US and China are the only industrialized countries that have the death penalty in use.


The 1970's had almost no executions because people were so opposed to it.

Electric Chair is the second most common execution method.

Controversial Readings
Pro: http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/teacher/c/about/arguments/argument1a.htm
Con: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/31/why-the-death-penalty-needs-to-die.html
Neutral: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/22/opinion/blecker-death-penalty/

Documentary
This video is designed to show you the execution process for you to make a decision on whether you think it is humane or not.

Assessment

1. How many states have the death penalty?
2. What was the first state to outlaw the death penalty?
3. What time period the least amount of executions in the US?
4. How many industrialized countries have the death penalty?
5. What countries are they?
6. What is the most common form of execution?
7. What are 2 arguments that are for the death penalty?
8. What are 2 arguments that are against the death penalty?
9. Do you think any of the arguments are invalid?
10. What is your opinion on the death penalty?