In colonial America in the 1600s, European settlers were the first to introduce the death penalty to the United States. Since prisons did not exist at that time, the death penalty became a regular punishment for crimes. During the 1700s, Thomas Jefferson proposed changing the punitive laws in Virginia. Defeated by a single vote, the bill proposed that the death penalty be allowed only for the crimes of treason and murder (History). At that time capital punishment was the main source of execution of criminals and other individuals accused of wrongs committed. However, the advent of the 21st century has slowly made capital punishment increasingly obsolete. Many people may argue that the death penalty is an immoral and unconstitutional way to punish criminals, but in reality I argue that the death penalty is a fair way to get rid of the worthless people in America. While the thought of the death penalty may seem irrational to some, to others the act of execution is necessary and necessary. In the 1600s and 1700s the death penalty was widely popular but with the creation of the constitution and other laws for the country, law makers slowly began to eliminate executions as an act of punishment. At issue in many court cases and debated over the years, the death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment, is still highly controversial in all 50 states. While 18 states have eliminated the death penalty, 32 continue to believe in and use the death penalty as the ultimate punishment (states). Many disagree with the outlawing of the death penalty in some states because they believe that, as proposed by Thomas Jefferson, it should be legal in cases of treason or murder. The various punishments include lethal injection, which is... middle of paper...rongs, while I firmly believe that the death penalty helps deter crime, bring closure to families, and give people what they deserve. Works CitedDobbs, Greg. “Inmates convicted of murder deserve their fate.” Denver Post. 17 March 2013: D.4 SIRS Researcher Issues. Network. April 29, 2014.ProQuest Staff. “At Issue: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment” ProQuest LLC. 2014.N.pag. SIRS problem researcher. Network. April 24, 2014. Stewart, Gail B. “The Death Penalty” San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Print. April 28, 2014.Gregg, Zoraya. “States Engage in Dark Deals as Death Penalty Drugs Decline.” United States today. 10 March 2014. A.1 Researcher on SIRS issues. Network. 24 April 2014. “States with and without the death penalty”. DPIC. Network. May 5, 2014. “Furman vs. Georgia.” Furman vs. Georgia. Network. May 6, 2014"Part I: History of the death penalty." DPIC. Network. May 5 2014.