In a nutshell, the cruel and unusual punishment clause measures a particular punishment against society's prohibition against inhuman treatment. It prevents the government from imposing a penalty that is either barbaric or far too severe for the crime committed.
Hitler pledged to restore prosperity, create civil order (by crushing industrial strikes and street demonstrations by communists and socialists), eliminate the influence of Jewish financiers, and make the fatherland once again a world power.
Women's suffrage movement
President Nixon was the biggest problem.