Much debate took place during the Constitutional Convention, with the "need for a bill of rights" most often at the center of controversy. “Opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as framed would open the way to the tyranny of the central government” (Charters), because British violation of civil rights, before and after the Revolution, was still fresh in their minds. Therefore, “they demanded a bill of rights which would specify the immunities of individual citizens” (Charters). On September 25, 1789, the First United States Congress proposed twelve new constitutional amendments to the assembling states. most of the arguments put forward against it. Of the twelve proposed amendments, articles one and two, "which concerned the number of electors for each representative and the remuneration of members of Congress, were not ratified" (Charters), leaving articles three to twelve to constitute the The first ten amendments to the Constitution known as the The emphasis should, however, be placed on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, more particularly its "cruel and unusual punishment" clause and its application to capital punishment. Of the ten constitutional amendments comprising the Bill of Rights, the eighth most in need of revision due to a gray area lies in its language regarding the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution is very clearly affected by the evolution of society and, therefore, it is paramount to revise this amendment in order to meet the ever-changing standards of morality of society, so that " cruel and unusual” is a better defined criterion. when considering acceptable means of punishment... middle of paper ...... human life; as well as answering the fundamental question of what constitutes punishment that is not "cruel" or "unusual" if the systematic administration of punishment, in a manner deemed "cruel and unusual", is to be considered unconstitutional and bad. morality Works cited “Methods of execution”. American Civil Liberties Union. NP, NDWeb. October 6, 2013 “Facts about the death penalty.” Death Penalty Information Center. October 2, 2013. The web. October 6, 2013. “Gallup Poll on the Death Penalty.” Gallup polls. NP, NDWeb. October 6, 2013. “The Freedom Charters: a new world is within reach.” Archives.gov. National Archives, NP, ND Web. October 6, 2013. Pappas, Stéphanie. “Science of Execution: What is the Best Way to Kill a Person?” Science Live. October 1, 2010. The web. October 6, 2013.Warren, Vincent. "Torture on death row". Huffington Post News. October 9, 2013. The web. October 9 2013.