Pleased with hurting others, inhuman

The 8th amendment to the US constitution seems fairly explicit, until we look at the words in more detail:

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

For example, what was “excessive” in the 1780s in monetary terms is minor now (a dollar then was worth far more than a dollar now), and thus what is excessive now has to seen in relative terms. What did the common people who voted for and against the amendments think the words meant?