The First Execution in America

Jamestown council members shot a mutineer and spy to death

Reenactment of Jamestown from the U.S. Navy — Public Domain

The death penalty has had a troubled and complicated history in human history. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the death penalty was first codified in history under the Code of Hammurabi, which made 25 crimes punishable by death. These included adultery, attempted suicide, and helping slaves…