Not just a wordsmith, at which he had few equals, the third president of the United States was a whiz at math, philosophy, history, and the languages (he was proficient in French, Latin and Greek). And that was just as a college student at the College of William and Mary.
The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) of the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause also applies to the states.
However, there are several constitutional principles that protect defendants from excessively harsh or unusual punishments. Most of these limitations on criminal sentencing can be found in the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.The 8th Amendment states that in a criminal case: 1  Excessive bail shall not be required. 2  Excessive fines shall not be imposed.3  Cruel and unusual punishment shall not be inflicted.owever, there are several constitutional principles that protect defendants from excessively harsh or unusual punishments. Most of these limitations on criminal sentencing can be found in the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.