July 11, 1804 Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr's Duel

[Valin]

Burr vs. Hamilton: Behind the ultimate political feud

Scott Bomboy

7/11.12

 

This Wednesday marks the 208th anniversary of the deadly duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. What caused the sitting vice president to gun down a Founding Father on the cliffs overlooking New York City?

 

The idea is hard to grasp in today’s world: It would be like Joe Biden and John Boehner engaging in a gun battle in public over health care.

 

Historians are still arguing over the deadly duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, which had its deep roots in both men’s service to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

 

The former friends became bitter enemies over political and personal issues, but a lot is still in dispute over the duel itself–and why it had to happen.

 

Here are five key points to remember as you draw your own conclusions.

 

(Snip)

 

PBS: The Duel

 

 

 

 

There are those...(well mainly me ) who consider this a win win situation.

Aaron Burrs political career was destroyed...and Alexander Hamilton was dead. Sometimes things just work out for the best.

[Draggingtree]

 

The Trick Pistol That Doomed Hamilton

 

The sensational duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr has taken its place among American legends, along with Washington chopping down a cherry tree. Hamilton, says the legend, brilliant former Secretary of the Treasury and driving force of the Federalist party (who sought a strong central government) was ruthlessly gunned down by Burr, Vice President under Jefferson and later tried for treason because of his mad plan to set up a Mississippi Valley empire. Hamilton, mortally wounded in the shoot-out gasped that he had never intended to fire. The truth is the pistol in Hamilton's hand did indeed shoot harmlessly high, its ball striking a tree behind Burr, 12 feet high. Hamilton has always come across as the good guy tragically slain. Burr has always worn the black hat.

 

Until recently few have questioned this legend. And no one has looked at an important piece of surviving evidence-the pistols with which the duel was fought.

 

Let us examine a few facts. Burr came of illustrious parentage: his father was the second president of Princeton (then the College of New Jersey), his mother was the daughter of Jonathan Edwards. In the Revolution, young Aaron was a gallant officer under General Benedict Arnold during the disastrous march on Quebec; later saved his brigade during the battle of Long Island; later still served creditably at Valley Forge and Monmouth. In politics he won the same number of votes as Jefferson for the Presidency, became Vice President upon decision by the House of Representatives. One edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica notes, "His fair and judicial manner as president of the senate, recognized by his bitterest enemies, helped to foster traditions in regard to that position..." He was "generous to a fault, and was intensely devoted to his wife and daughter."

 

Hamilton , illegitimately born on one of the Leeward islands in the Caribbean, rose to prominence during the Revolution when he served as an artillery officer under Washington ands also as aide-de-camp to the Commander in Chief. He married into the powerful Schuyler family and played a major role in forming a nation rather than a confederation of states.

 

Historians have pointed out that Hamilton, who hated Jefferson, hated Burr more and threw Read More

 

http://www.aaronburrassociation.org/Smithsonian.htm

[Draggingtree]

Aaron Burr: America's Forgotten Founder

 

If he had been able to keep his ambition in check, Aaron Burr might have become president. Instead, he became known as the man who killed Alexander Hamilton and as one of the most notorious traitors in history.

 

Aaron Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His father, Reverend Aaron Burr, was president of the College of New Jersey, which would later be renamed Princeton. His mother, Esther Edwards Burr, was the daughter of theologian Jonathan Edwards, whose preaching helped precipitate the religious movement known as the Great Awakening. Aaron Burr was orphaned at 2. He was raised by his uncle, Timothy Edwards.

 

From an early age, Aaron showed signs of brilliance. He applied for admission to the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) at age 11, but was turned down. At age 13, he reapplied and was granted admission as a sophomore; he graduated at age 17.

 

When the Revolution began, Burr, then 19, unsuccessfully sought a commission from George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. A disappointed Burr joined Benedict Arnold's march against British strongholds in Canada. Later, he Read More

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/peopleevents/pande01.html

[Draggingtree]

Hamilton's Eventful Life and Tragic Death

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)

 

The solid reputation of Alexander Hamilton places him among but a handful of figures in the history of America. No single figure was ever a stronger advocate of our Constitution; and only a few people have made a comparable contribution to the substance of American government. Because of his fame, few Americans have been as widely controversial as Hamilton. To this day, his importance remains unsurpassed in the areas of sharp finance, principled politics, romantic scandal, hard work, intellectual acuteness, and bravery. Hamilton’s visage on the $10 bill is the only non-presidential face besides Benjamin Franklin to appear on our common currency.

A chronology of his life

Alexander Hamilton was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in the West Indies on the 11^th of January 1755. His father was James Hamilton, a Scottish merchant of St. Christopher. His grandfather was Alexander Hamilton, of Grange, Lanarkshire. One of his great grandfathers was Sir R. Pollock, the Laird of Cambuskeith. Hamilton’s mother was Rachael Fawcette Levine, of French Huguenot descent. When she was very young, she married a Danish proprietor of St. Croix named John Michael Levine. Ms. Levine left her husband and was later divorced from him on June 25, 1759. Under Danish law, the (the court ordering the divorce) Ms. Levine was forbidden from remarrying. Thus, Hamilton’s birth was illegitimate. Alexander Hamilton had one brother, James Hamilton. Read More

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/burr/hamiltonbio.htm