ation's culture. The methods in which the criminal would be put to death were often gruesome and barbaric. Some of the most common ways were stoning, boiling in oil, drowning, burning alive, and of course the crucifixion which was used in Rome (Encyclopedia Americana).
             The ideal of death as being a punishment for committing certain crimes lasted even though the civilizations eventually crumbled. The laws set forth by these great civilizations were adapted and incorporated into many of the European and Asian countries during the medieval period in history. France became famous for their use of the "guillotine", which was used to behead the prisoner in front of a public crowd. By the 1800's, England had listed nearly two-hundred crimes as being punishable by death (Encarta Encyclopedia). In a time of absolute rule, an individual's rights did not usually exist in society. One could be put to death based on accusations alone, whether they were reliable or not, did not matter.
             The American Colonies obtained much of the English law, (including its laws on capital punishment), but the crimes that were punishable and the methods of execution that were used differed from colony to colony. For example, Massachusetts listed the following crimes as being punishable by death: witchcraft, murder, assault, adultery, perjury, capital crime, and rebellion. On the other hand, Pennsylvania listed only treason and murder as crimes punishable by death (Encyclopedia Americana). With these examples, one can see the variation of how each colony used the death penalty. This happened quite often due to the fact that there was no constant law that was applied to each and every colony. Each colony had there own set of rules or laws when dealing with the death penalty. Also, in the newly formed colonies, hanging was the preferred method of execution but there were other methods used including burning alive and "drawing and quartering" (Encyclopedia Amer...