(WXYZ) — Did you know Michigan was the first state to abolish the death penalty?
In 1846, Michigan became the first state to outlaw the death penalty for all crimes except treason, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The website says the state legislature voted to end capital punishment in 1846, and the law went into effect the following year in 1847.
Treason remained a crime punishable by the death penalty in Michigan despite the 1847 abolition, but no one was ever executed under that law.
Prior to the passage, "only 13 executions were carried out in Michigan's history, just six of which occurred after Michigan officially became a territory in 1805."
It was in 1962 that a constitutional convention passed a proposal to abolish the death penalty for all crimes in the state by a 108 to 3 vote, according to the site.
For more about the history of the death penalty in United States, click here.
