Mary+Weeks+Inquiry

Rough Draft / Outline

Georgia v Furman: Furman was robbing a house in the night. He claimed as he was leaving his gun accidentally went off. This killed the victim. Furman was committing a felony robbery, but then added murder to his crime. Furman was an African America male which is a large part of this case. In similar cases where a white man robbed and accidentally killed someone the perpetrator did not receive the death penalty.

Background knowledge on Supreme Court Decision: Supreme Court case that made the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment Case was tried in the 1970's. The case was very close with a 5-4 decision A quote from a judge who was of the majority opinion was: "These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual. For, of all the people convicted of rapes and murders in 1967 and 1968, many just as reprehensible as these, the petitioners are among a capriciously selected random handful upon whom the sentence of death has in fact been imposed. My concurring Brothers have demonstrated that, if any basis can be discerned for the selection of these few to be sentenced to death, it is the constitutionally impermissible basis of race. See //McLaughlin v. Florida//, 379 U.S. 184 (1964) But racial discrimination has not been proved, and I put it to one side. I simply conclude that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments cannot tolerate the infliction of a sentence of death under legal systems that permit this unique penalty to be so wantonly and so freakishly imposed."

The dissenting judges: They said that the death penalty had always been used. All four of the judges who dissented had all been appointed by Richard Nixon.

What I want to know.... What was the public reaction to this case. I will compare editorials in the New York Times on the Georgia v. Furman case. Were the editorials leaning towards one side of the fence on this controversial issue. Did they present the case in a fair and unbiased way?

Primary Sources http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/119302525/139986EBCC7244CDEEA/7?accountid=12725 (for cp) http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/119290272/139986EBCC7244CDEEA/8?accountid=12725 (for cp) http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/156946632/13998997BE269A3DF23/16?accountid=12725 (varying opinions on cp) http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/156930369/13998997BE269A3DF23/15?accountid=12725 (against cp)

Secondary Sources http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_69_5003/ http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/123499688/139986EBCC7244CDEEA/1?accountid=12725 http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2931

Rough Draft Inquiry paper Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cqFSw1XZ0fCGX5qA_WjqU6_me_Wrh8HfWhshf5aejhk/edit

Final Draft Inquiry paper Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zogKPoJ-WWS-WGLuBS6tL8yRm_uyzLZM_O2fHhwE3-c/edit

Rough Draft For Paul Harvey: The Rest of the Story

Final Draft of Paul Harvey: The Rest of the Story



Link To Digital Story : https://voicethread.com/share/3687178/

Picture Sources for Digital Story Video: mkw

Inquiry Application:

Self Reflection Letter



Paul Harvey Rubric