European settlers came to the new world and brought capital punishment with them. The first recorded execution in the new colonies was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1608. The reason for his execution is said to be because he was a spy for Spain and was hanged for treason. (History of the death penalty) After introducing capital punishment, many states took it upon themselves to start punishing people for all kinds of crimes that the British had established and along the way also added crimes that they deemed worthy enough to be considered as capital crimes. After the spread and initiation of capital punishment, the abolitionist movement began. “In 1767 Cesare Beccaria wrote an essay, “On Crimes and Punishments”, which had a great impact throughout the world. In Beccaria's essay he theorized that there was no justification for the suppression of life by the State." (History of the death penalty) There was no reason for any form of torture and no reason to undertake this form of action. He believed that a change in the justice system was needed first. The only way there could be punishment was if they made sure they upheld the social contract and everyone respected it