ExecutedToday.com

1989: Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu 1862: 38 Sioux

Themed Set: The Spectacle of Public Hanging in America

December 26th, 2007 Headsman

Inherited from England, the ceremony and theater of public hangings in the youthful United States and its antecedent colonies present an almost impossibly dramatic variety for characters, costumes and stagecraft. The ritual has — at least in the U.S.A. — slipped out of time into history, myth, even kitsch.

How representative of public hangings are any of the phenomenon’s instantly recognizable tropes remains another matter.

The next four dates offer a handful that alongside their inherent interest suggest — if only by illustration — the diverse circumstances that have gathered men and women under the gallows in the New World.

Also On This Date

1862: Asa Lewis, Confederate deserter

No related posts found.

Entry Filed under: Themed Sets

4 Comments Add your own

1. ExecutedToday.com »&hellip | October 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm

[...] long New World tradition of hanging condemned prisoners came under fire as a barbarism in the late 19th century, leading reformers to [...]
2. ExecutedToday.com »&hellip | October 3rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm

[...] in the British Empire and its descendant countries, the hanging — and especially the public hanging — were the very image of the death penalty; its most characteristic venue at the corner of [...]
3. ExecutedToday.com »&hellip | December 26th, 2008 at 10:51 pm

[...] Themed Set: The Spectacle of Public Hanging in America 1739: Penelope Kenny and Sarah Simpson [...]
4. ExecutedToday.com »&hellip | December 27th, 2008 at 9:21 am

[...] Part of the Themed Set: The Spectacle of Public Hanging in America. [...]

Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed