Final answer:
The death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976 by the Supreme Court with the decision in Gregg v. Georgia, ending the moratorium that started with the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in the United States
The death penalty was reinstated in the United States by the Supreme Court in 1976 through the decision in Gregg v. Georgia. This ruling found that Georgia's new death penalty statute was constitutional and adequately narrowed the class of defendants eligible for the death penalty, thereby ending the moratorium on executions that began with the Court's 1972 decision in Furman v. Georgia. Following this decision, executions resumed after 1977, and the number of executions peaked in 1998. However, a decline in the application of the death penalty has been observed due to factors such as DNA evidence revealing wrongful executions and states abolishing the practice.
Over the years, public opinion on the death penalty has fluctuated, with significant historical moments impacting its use. The 1930s saw a peak in executions during the Great Depression. After a period with no executions in the 1970s due to its suspension, there was a resurgence associated with law and order politics. A declining trend in the use of the death penalty has been observed since the late 1990s and continues as states reevaluate its application.