Eight Amendment

3 Pages 795 Words

MY CONSTITUTION PAPER
The Constitution is considered the law of the land in the United States of America. It is made up of rules and regulations for the people of the United States to live by. The purpose of the Constitution is to guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. The first draft of the Constitution was written in 1787. There have been a few changes and additions made to it, which are called Amendments, since then. I will be focusing on the Eight Amendment which states, "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted" (Constitution of the United States, 1971).
In the article I chose from the State News, it told of the ongoing debate about capital punishment. Human rights activists argue with advocates of capital punishment over whether or not the death penalty is cruel and unusual. Is capital punishment breaking the Eighth Amendment?
In recent history, the pickax murderer, Karla Faye Tucker, was executed. Human rights activists outside shouted, "Let her live". They believed that every person had a right to live, as stated in the Constitution. They felt that the death penalty was cruel and unusual after Karla had spent 14 years in prison "rehabilitating". Thus, her human rights were violated. In the same manner, supporters of capital punishment shouted, "Kill her, kill her". They believed that the punishment for a violent crime, such as killing two people with a pickax, should be death. In addition, "Advocates hail the death penalty as a factor in falling U. S. crime rates" (The State News).
Karla had been given "the right to a speedy and public trial" and the right to appeal, as promised by the U. S. Constitution in the Sixth Amendment. These were her human rights. Up until her death sentence, the Constitution had worked in her favor by keeping her alive. But, the time finally came when she had to accept he...