The history of capital punishment on American soil dates back more than 400 years. The first execution of an Englishman in what is now the United States was that of Captain George Kendall, which took place in the colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608. The blacksmith of the colony of At the time, James Reed was sentenced to death for treason. But he managed to save himself by pointing the finger at Captain Kendall. He argued that Captain Kendall was a dangerous conspirator. Kendall was tried and sentenced to death. And he was shot. There was a whole series of capitalist offensives in colonial America. And the laws varied from colony to colony. Most were based on Britain's Bloody Codes, which codified more than 200 offenses as capital crimes, including lower-level offenses such as petty theft, felling trees in an orchid, and disturbing a pond. Pisces. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay In the United States, capital punishment laws included murder, rape, and robbery, as well as others crimes related to religion or morality, such as witchcraft, blasphemy, working on the Sabbath, committing adultery, and worshiping false idols. However, most individuals executed in colonial America were for murder, witchcraft, and piracy. 40% of those executed were for murder, 25% for witchcraft, and 15% of executions in colonial America were of pirates. Early death penalty laws were often accompanied by a biblical passage justifying the laws. Indeed, in colonial America, executions were strongly linked to religion. Given the close ties to religion, the first executions were public, often hanging from the gallows. This gave the clergy a wider audience to preach to and was intended to deter other potential offenders. The execution was a ritual lasting several hours, which included a public procession to the gallows, accompanied by sermons, singing of hymns and the condemned man's last words. The final words were meant to be the final opportunity for the accused to declare renewed faith and ask for forgiveness. It was an opportunity for him to receive atonement before dying. Public executions in colonial America were generally solemn events considered wholesome and educational for children. The behavior of the spectators was that of restrained celebration. There were generally few executions in colonial America, as the newly founded country needed the vast majority of those executed. Only 35 for women.Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom essay from our expert writers now.Get a Custom EssayWomen were much more likely to be executed for witchcraft. And the largest number of women executed in one year was 1692, the year of the Salem witch trials. Most people executed in colonial America were black. Part of the reason is that black people were often seen as outsiders. And the execution of strangers was less disruptive to the community. And yet it still provided an opportunity to dissuade other offenders and clergy from preaching. The average age at the time of execution was 30 years old. But known executions in colonial America ranged up to the age of 83 and barely 12 years old. Although only about 2% of those executed were minors. Methods of execution in the United States also have their origins in Europe. The following short video will introduce you.