Many debates took place during the Constitutional Convention and the “need for a bill of rights” was often at the center of controversy. “Opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government” (Charters) since Britain's violation of civil rights, both before and after the Revolution, was still fresh in their minds. Therefore, “they asked for a bill of rights specifying the immunities of individual citizens” (Charters). On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed twelve new constitutional amendments to the states which met most of the arguments frequently advanced against it. Of the twelve proposed amendments, articles one and two, “which concerned the number of electors for each representative and the compensation of members of Congress, were not ratified” (Papers), leaving articles three through twelve to constitute the first ten amendments of the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights. Attention should be focused, however, on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, more specifically, its “cruel and unusual punishment” clause and its application to capital punishment. Of the ten constitutional amendments that make up the Bill of Rights, the eighth most in need of gray area revision is found in its wording relating to the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution is clearly influenced by social evolution and, therefore, it is crucial to revise this amendment in order to meet society's ever-evolving moral standards so that "cruel and unusual" are better defined criteria. when considering acceptable means of punishing… middle of paper… human life; as well as to answer the fundamental question of what constitutes a non-"cruel" or "unusual" punishment if the systematic administration of punishments, according to methods deemed "cruel and unusual", is to be considered unconstitutional and in bad conduct moral positionWorks cited"Methods of execution". American Civil Liberties Union. NP, ND Web. October 6, 2013 “The facts about the death penalty.” Death Penalty Information Center. October 2, 2013. Web. October 6, 2013. “Gallup Death Penalty Poll.” Gallup polls. NP, ND Web. 6 Oct 2013. “The Charters of Freedom: a new world is at hand.” Archives.gov. National Archives, NP, ND Web. October 6, 2013. Pappas, Stephanie. "Execution Science: What's the Best Way to Kill a Person?". Science live. October 1, 2010. Web. October 6, 2013.Warren, Vincent. “Torture on death row.” News from the Huffington Post. October 9, 2013. Web. October 9 2013.