Primary+Sources

__Information__ Citation: "Court on Death Penalty and Race." //Historic Documents of 1987//, 463-78. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 1988. Web. 14 May 2011. . Author’s credentials: While there is not a author listed for this document, the creators of the historic document series, in which this document is a part of, are well qualified. The series has been published annually since 1972 and there are now 38 volumes. The historic documents with in these series include presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions. Scope and purpose of the work: This piece includes experts from the Supreme Court’s decision in the //McCleskey v. Kemp// case. It is an historic document and primary source, which allows the readers to see exactly what the decision in this case was. Intended audience: The intended audience of this piece is for either a lay person or an expert in the field. It gives enough information for a lay person to grasp the decision of the court, but could also be used by experts to see what the court’s decision was in this case. __Summary__ Identify the author’s thesis: While this work includes excerpts from the court’s decision on the case discussed above, the creator of this work uses those excerpts to relay his thoughts on how race impacts the decision of the death penalty. The author’s thesis deals with how race does impact whether one is sentenced to death or not. People of different races are treated differently when it comes to capital punishment. What are the main arguments?: The main arguments include that a person who kills a white man is more likely to be sentenced to death than a person who has killed an African American and race determining a sentence is intolerable by any standard. __Evidence?__ The evidence provided in this source includes excerpts from the court’s decision in the //McCleskey v. Kemp// case, where McCleskey robbed a furniture store and during the course of the robbery killed a white police officer. The professors David C. Baldus, George Woodworth, and Charles Pulansski performed a statistical study that claimed that the inequality of the death sentence imposed on McCleskey was based on the race of the murder victim and the race of the defendant. __Evaluation__ Evaluation of research: This piece is logical, clear, and well-researched. The creator displays the information in a fluent way that is easy to follow and they have obviously done their research. Evaluation of scope: The topic has been adequately addressed. It is easy to follow and the creator’s thoughts are backed up by evidence from the case. Evaluation of author bias: The author is biased toward the side of race playing a major part not only within this particular case, but in the sentencing of the death penalty in any case. They believe that if a white person is killed the person who killed them is more likely to be killed then the murderer of a African American. __Reflection__ This source was very helpful to my research. It dealt with how race impact the sentencing of the death penalty. It gave specific evidence form this specific case and showed how race impacts capital punishment and that the sentencing of death does not just deal with the type of crime. The source gives a great deal of information on the impact race has, which helps me greatly in researching the impact other factors besides the severity of the crime.