1780's   1840's   1890's     1950's 1970's 2000's
white white   white   white white white
Signing of the Constitution   Michigan
Bans DP
  Electric Chair Invented     Trop vs. Dulles Furman vs. Georgia DNA Evidence
 
1970's

States now rush to make their death penalty laws fairer. Thirty-four states rewrite their laws. The Supreme Court rules that the death penalty is allowed, but there must be standards that help juries decide when they can sentence a murderer to death.

Issue History: The Death Penalty