Database: Public hangings

Public hangings were a common practice during the Colonial era, as a form of moral warning and religious sermon for the audience. During the American Revolution, this became less frequent, with improvised and quick executions in front of a reduced audience, especially of alleged spies. In any case, people were usually hanged from trees, and gallows were scarce. Though often depicted in fiction, the iconic trapdoor gallows to break the neck did not exist yet and the hanging victim actually died from suffocation...