University of Groningen
American History: Documents: Maryland Toleration Act 1649
The text of a 1649 colonial act concerning religion in Maryland. Describes punishment of any who reject Christian teaching.
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Illinois v. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb
Discover everything you would want to know about the Leopold & Loeb trial. This comprehensive tool provides an abundance of information including the evidence, the confession, the crime scene, the summations, the decision, photos,...
ProCon.org
Pro Con: Death Penalty: Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?
Website outlining the controversial topic of the death penalty provides students with a variety of resources on explaining both sides of the issue.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: The Making of Dead Man Walking (Classroom Content)
Go directly to two lesson plans developed by the producers of the PBS documentary "The Making of Dead Man Walking" about an opera based on the work of Helen Prejean. Use the lessons to help students examine how art and music can define...
PBS
Pbs and Then One Night: The Making of Dead Man Walking
Capital Punishment is one of the most controversial issues in America. This site is the companion to the PBS documentary on the opera Dead Man Walking. This site goes behind the scenes of the making of the opera and tells the stories of...
ProCon.org
Pro Con: Tsarnaev and the Death Penalty: Should the Boston Bomber Be Executed?
Website dedicated to controversial issues lays out the both sides of the arguments made on whether or not Tsarnaev should recieve the death penalty. Resources for students include summary of events, pro con list, and links to related...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Law About.. The Death Penalty
This Cornell site gives an overview of the death penalty issue and links to federal, state and other resources on the issue.
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Furman v. Georgia (1972)
Offers the complete text of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Furman v. Georgia. This case deals with the issues of death penalty and cruel and unusual punishment.
University of North Carolina
Unc Library: Facing Controversy: Capital Punishment in North Carolina
A digital exhibit of a selection of primary source materials that document many of the controversies surrounding the death penalty in North Carolina.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Week of August 1 2016: Hinckley, States Tightened Use of the Insanity Plea
The insanity ruling that sent President Ronald Reagan's would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr., to a government psychiatric hospital rather than prison was handed down 34 years ago, but its repercussions still affect hundreds, if not...
Other
Justia: Us Supreme Court: Furman v. Georgia, 408 u.s. 238 (1972)
Court documents of a case challenging the death penalty as constituting "cruel and unusual punishment" and violating the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. Includes link to audio file of oral argument.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Death Penalty
This resource offers extensive information for students and teachers examining the issue of the death penalty and whether it is morally right, if it violates the Constitution, and whether enforcing it has had any impact on violent crime....
Other
The Eighth Amendment
This is a student essay on the question of whether capital punishment is "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment.
US Government Publishing Office
U.s. Government Publishing Office: Eighth Amendment Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases [Pdf]
This resource provides the various court rulings as to what has been interpreted as "excessive bail", etc.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Protection Against Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Check out this interactive timeline of the history of protection against cruel and unusual punishment in the United States.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Death Penalty
This website contains an interactive timeline about the history of the death penalty in the United States.
Other
Amnesty International Usa: Abolish the Death Penalty
A new look at the Gregg v. Georgia ruling by the Supreme Court that reinstated the death penalty in the United States. Has it lived up to its original purpose? Here's Amnesty International's viewpoint.
Read Works
Read Works: Should the u.s. Keep the Death Penalty?
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text debating the death penalty. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Other
Aclu: American Civil Liberties Union
Official home of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Learn about American news, what's going on with the Supreme Court and new legislation, and more at this online interest group.
Other
Amnesty International: Clemency Procedures in Texas
This site, from Amnesty International, details the clemency procedures in Texas in the case of Troy Davis who was facing the death penalty.