Rites of Execution: Capital Punishment and the Transformation of American Culture, 1776-1865

by Louis P. Masur

Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, Western societies abandoned public executions in favor of private punishments, primarily confinement in penitentiaries and private executions. The transition, guided by a reconceptualization of the causes of crime, the nature of authority, and the purposes of punishment, embodied the triumph of new sensibilities and the reconstitution of cultural values throughout the Western world. This study examines the conflict over capital punishment in the United States and the way it transformed American culture between the Revolution and the Civil War. Relating the gradual shift in rituals of punishment and attitudes toward discipline to the emergence of a middle class culture that valued internal restraints and private punishments, Masur traces the changing configuration of American criminal justice. He examines the design of execution day in the Revolutionary era as a spectacle of civil and religious order, the origins of organized
opposition to the death penalty and the invention of the penitentiary, the creation of private executions, reform organizations' commitment to social activism, and the competing visions of humanity and society lodged at the core of the debate over capital punishment. A fascinating and thoughtful look at a topic that remains of burning interest today, Rites of Execution will attract a wide range of scholarly and general readers.

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 1989

Reviews

[Paul Tardie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the social, philosophical, religious, and political perspectives on capital punishment from the era it covers. While it explores the evolution of capital punishment there is also ample material on the history of penitentiaries and their proponents. This book does a good job on exploring the lives of leaders of social causes, their opposition, and fruits of their labor. There were several points where I was waiting for a specific topic to be broached and it would soon follow. As a history of capital punishment this book doesn't disappoint but it was a slow read due to the subject matter and density. There are many points that are extremely depressing, especially considering that we haven't gotten far in the debate over capital punishment in the U.S. and solitary confinement is still widely used even though it is has been known to be torture since its inception.
If you are studying criminal justice or are involved in prisoner advocacy, this is a must-read.

[Rob Bentlyewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly a fun read, but the book is perfect for any constitutional history class. The fact that it is packed with names of activists from beginning to end makes it a great reference work and a tough book to read just out of interest. The stories of individual executions were particularly great parts of the book.