Punishment in the 1800's

Punishment for crimes has changed drastically since the early 1800's. Hangings were extremely common for those convicted of crimes. Crime was soaring because of a rise in population and wealth. The worst of this crime was between 1820-1840. Jails were overflowing which resulted in a lot escapees. There were riots over food costs and availability. The wealthy began carrying guns for protection from thieves.

But it was not only thieves who were punished by banishment to reformat institutions and work houses. Children of all ages that were considered "at risk" of becoming a problem to society were treated and punished as if they already committed a crime. Punishment was cruel. Whipping posts sat around town. Adulterers and bigamist received more lashes of the whip than manslaughter. If a woman was believed to have been unfaithful she received thirty lashes and a big A was branded on her forehead with a hot iron so every one that saw her would know what she had done. She also had to wear a heavy device around her neck.

Of course slaves received the harshest punishment of all. If a slave displeased his or her master or tried to escape the punishment could be extreme. They were maimed or tortured to death. They might chop the slave's foot off or even his penis. This was so there would be no obvious damage and the slave could still be sold at a good price. They received severe beatings and whippings for simply reading or writing. They would put pepper in the fresh, bleeding wounds. They were hunted by dogs and separated from their families. Abolitionist were active at this time and many slave owners would send their slaves to slave houses to be punished and avoid looking like a cruel person. However, the slave houses were more like huts and dirt and they were cramped and bare. Here they would be cruelly over worked and treated badly.

Public hangings were considered entertainment and good for business. Many were deported to colonies to serve out time for less serious crimes but most never returned home. If discipline was needed at sea the sailors might be flogged, hanged or set adrift in the ocean. More than two hundred crimes were punishable by execution in the early part of the 1800's. By the end of the century, sympathizers became very active and the crueler punishments were less and less common. There was less physical torture and more jailing.

Sources:

wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_some_slave_punishments_that_were_commonly_used

www.norwichbulletin.com/lifestyles/columnists/x1346454036/RICHARD-CURLAND-Punishment-in-1800s-provided-torture-public-entertainment