Open Book History

SOS! She’s Hit an Iceberg!

108 years ago today, two twins, Michel and Edmond Navratil, saw their father for the last time as he lowered them into a boat full of strangers in a desperate attempt to save their lives. They were on Easter break with their father who unbeknownst to the twins, had kidnapped them, leaving their mother at… Continue reading SOS! She’s Hit an Iceberg!

Women and Race: An Examination of the Death Penalty Throughout American History

Choosing Death: The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Death Row on the Condemned and the Practice of Volunteering for Execution

The death penalty is a highly debated practice for many reasons. A few being the cost of execution via taxpayer dollars, the morality of state-sanctioned killing, and the idea of justice and closure for the families of murder victims.  The most popular anti-death arguments pertain to the eighth amendment which is used to argue that… Continue reading Choosing Death: The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Death Row on the Condemned and the Practice of Volunteering for Execution

Social Justice and Political Dealings

Justice without Trial: The Problems with Plea Bargaining

To introduce this topic, I want to share a personal story about what happened in June of 2015. Until now, only close friends and family have known about the tragedy that struck our family over two years ago. For two years two members of our family as well as their mother and our immediate family… Continue reading Justice without Trial: The Problems with Plea Bargaining