From town squares to prison walls: A history of public executions in America
The Pentagon's plan to livestream the Dec. 3 firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan revives a spectacle the country largely abandoned in the 1930s. From Jamestown in 1608 to a Kentucky riverfront in 1936, hangings drew crowds of thousands before states moved them behind prison walls.
TL;DR
- The Pentagon plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.
- This plan revives the spectacle of public executions, a practice largely abandoned by the 1930s.
- Historically, hangings drew large crowds, from Jamestown in 1608 to a Kentucky riverfront in 1936.
- States eventually moved executions behind prison walls, ending public viewings.