Value-added commentary only: Saying it if I don't hear it said or said enough; expanding on what I hear or saying it in a different way; and providing and collecting evidence and sources.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Capitall Lawes of New-England
In Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 335 (1972) (Marshall, J concurring), Marshall talks about "'The Capitall Lawes of New-England,' dating from 1636, were drawn by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and are the first written expression of capital offenses known to exist in this country. These laws make the following crimes capital offenses: idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, assault in sudden anger, sodomy, buggery, adultery, statutory rape, rape, manstealing, perjury in a capital trial, and rebellion. Each crime is accompanied by a reference to the Old Testament to indicate its source." I have found copies online. Here is a photocopy of the broadside in the Library of Congress. Here is an html. version.
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