Preventing Cruel and Unusual Punishment (The Eighth Amendment)

The Founding Fathers created the Eighth Amendment to protect the people from the kind of abuse they had seen while the colonies were under British rule. But to this day, Americans continue to argue about what exactly “cruel and unusual,” “excessive bail,” and “excessive fines” mean. Through full-color and black-and-white photos, engaging text, and primary sources, students will examine the events leading up to the Eighth Amendment’s creation, how it has been defined throughout the centuries, and how it is interpreted today. In addition, informative sidebars and a further reading section with books and websites encourage students to explore the people and events of this time in history in more depth.