Randa Abdelfattah

A note before we get started. This episode includes descriptions and discussion of violent acts, including murder and execution.

Cruel and unusual punishments. A term that was adopted from England and meant to protect the people from a tyrannical government. But what was cruel and unusual punishment?

Cruel and unusual punishments. A term that was adopted from England and meant to protect the people from a tyrannical government. But what was cruel and unusual punishment?

Cruel and unusual punishments. A term that was adopted from England and meant to protect the people from a tyrannical government. But what was cruel and unusual punishment?

On the day of his execution, Wallace Wilkerson sat in a chair facing three guns about 30 feet away. He made a short speech and said he hoped God would forgive him. Then three concealed gunmen fired. He continued breathing for 27 minutes before being pronounced dead. almost 150 years later. The firing squad is still a legal way to execute someone in five states.

On the day of his execution, Wallace Wilkerson sat in a chair facing three guns about 30 feet away. He made a short speech and said he hoped God would forgive him. Then three concealed gunmen fired. He continued breathing for 27 minutes before being pronounced dead. almost 150 years later. The firing squad is still a legal way to execute someone in five states.

On the day of his execution, Wallace Wilkerson sat in a chair facing three guns about 30 feet away. He made a short speech and said he hoped God would forgive him. Then three concealed gunmen fired. He continued breathing for 27 minutes before being pronounced dead. almost 150 years later. The firing squad is still a legal way to execute someone in five states.

The death penalty is still constitutional. But debates over what exactly is cruel and unusual are ongoing and wide-ranging.

The death penalty is still constitutional. But debates over what exactly is cruel and unusual are ongoing and wide-ranging.

The death penalty is still constitutional. But debates over what exactly is cruel and unusual are ongoing and wide-ranging.

And I'm Randa Abdelfattah. On today's episode of ThruLine from NPR, the latest installment in our We the People series, where we look at the past, present, and future of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, why they were created, how they've been enforced, and why fights over their meaning continue to shape life in the United States.

And I'm Randa Abdelfattah. On today's episode of ThruLine from NPR, the latest installment in our We the People series, where we look at the past, present, and future of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, why they were created, how they've been enforced, and why fights over their meaning continue to shape life in the United States.

And I'm Randa Abdelfattah. On today's episode of ThruLine from NPR, the latest installment in our We the People series, where we look at the past, present, and future of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, why they were created, how they've been enforced, and why fights over their meaning continue to shape life in the United States.

When the founders wrote the Eighth Amendment, they had a lot on their minds. They were building a completely new government. But they were also still very much influenced by continental Europe and by England. Because even there, things had been changing.

When the founders wrote the Eighth Amendment, they had a lot on their minds. They were building a completely new government. But they were also still very much influenced by continental Europe and by England. Because even there, things had been changing.

When the founders wrote the Eighth Amendment, they had a lot on their minds. They were building a completely new government. But they were also still very much influenced by continental Europe and by England. Because even there, things had been changing.

England in the late 1600s, a century before the U.S. was founded.

England in the late 1600s, a century before the U.S. was founded.

England in the late 1600s, a century before the U.S. was founded.

The king's own nephew, the Duke of Monmouth, a Protestant, wanted to overthrow him. So in the summer of 1685, he gathered a few thousand men It would be known as the Monmouth Rebellion. The rebels won a few small battles, but were ultimately defeated by the Royal Army.