Why has America become so violent? an essay about american violence. Murder is regarded as a crime in all modern civilized societies. Crime is shown in the media and is prevalent in society. Early in America’s history, killing a human being was a relatively private matter to be dealt with by families or larger kinship groups. Deliberate killing (such as infanticide, cannibalism, head hunting, or the killing of the very old) is classified as “murder” in modern law, but such practices were viewed as customary and acceptable early in America’s history when the settlers first arrived on the continent. New laws or views of existing laws may make criminal acts that were once legal;