Newspaper Links:
- Summary of Electric Chair
- Wheeling Register- West Virginia, Wheeling, May 04, 1890 “ A New Era in Capital Punishment”
In my earlier research, I learned that the progressive era was the era of progress. It was a time when multiple economic and social issues were being debated and industrialization was being introduced to America. Many new reforms were made that affected people's everyday life. Some were happy with these changes and some were not. New technology was also being presented during this time period to make life easier for Americans. The telephone, the light bulb, and many more new inventions were rapidly being introduced to Americans in order to advance their lives in a positive way. However, some of these inventions were very controversial and not everyone saw them as a positive change. One of these inventions were the electric chair. The electric chair relates to progressivism because it was a new form of technology and was controversial throughout America.
The electric chair came to be in the late 19th century. Before then, most executions were done by hanging those who were deemed guilty. If one correctly, hanging someone was relatively painless and quick. However, if done wrong, it took a long time and was very painful for the rope's victim. Many Americans saw it as torture and wanted to find a new way to execute that seemed more humane. In 1886, the state of New York created a commission to do this. They researched and tested many methods but decided on electricity because it seemed the quickest and the least painful. In 1888 they passed the law that replaced hanging with electricity. This is how the idea of the electric chair came to be. Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse came up with two different methods in order to make this work. Eventually everyone came into agreement that Westinghouse's method was the cheapest and most efficient. Westinghouse came up with a new form of technology that had two alternating currents that would send multiple volts of electricity through them. I began to want to know more about the construction of the electric chair so I looked at the Wheeling Register on the article entitled " A New Era in Capital Punishment". This article gave a pretty good description of the chair. The chid was designed to look like a recliner. It had a footstool like a barber shop chair and a cap on it, similar to hair dryers in salons today, that had wires in it. Along the back of the chair was more wires that sent thousands of volts through it. It was a single chair in a cell that was made out of hardwood. It also contained multiple leather straps. This chair was a new form of technology because not only did it contain the two alternating currents but i was a quick process to end ones life that seemed the most humane to many people. However, there were some who did no think that was the case.
The electric chair's first victim was a murderer named William Kemmler. The first time they placed him in the chair and flipped the switch it took 15 seconds for the electricity to fully pass through his body. They thought he was dead but then he started breathing again. They had to try another time in order to end his life. Their predictions of a fast and painless death had not been right. Many began to wonder if this was humane. People began to dislike the electric chair and many articles were written about the electric chair that made it seem very bad. After rethinking the technology the electric chair is still around today but is not the most popular or liked form of execution because many thought that it was torture.
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| A photo of William Kemmler facing his death as the first victim of the electric chair |
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| The first ever electric chair |
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| William Kemmler |
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