Hamilton-Burr Duel Essays

Submitted By tmolyneux
Words: 2233
Pages: 9
Open Document
AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Charles Town, West Virginia

The Duel – Hamilton and Burr

Submitted to the Department of History

December 16, 2011

On July 11, 1804, a duel occurred in Weehawken, New Jersey. Duels were not extremely uncommon in those days but what made this one significant was the individuals involved in the contest. One of the participants was Aaron Burr who happened to be the sitting Vice President of the United States. The other participant was Alexander Hamilton, who was a well-respected statesman and had been the first Secretary of the Treasury serving in the administration of President George Washington. At the conclusion of the duel, Hamilton was mortally wounded and died after suffering in agony for 36 hours. Burr was wanted for murder in New York and New Jersey. Much has been written about the famous duel that occurred that day in Weehawken, New Jersey between Hamilton and Burr. There can be no doubt that much led up to the fateful interaction that day. In addition to the literal duel that occurred and resulted in the end of Alexander Hamilton’s life, there was also a figurative duel between the two men that went on for years prior to Hamilton’s death. While Burr was not injured in the duel, some would suggest that the duel was the end of Aaron Burr just as much as it was Alexander Hamilton. But how might American history have been different if the duel had a different outcome? What if Hamilton had shot and killed Aaron Burr? What if neither man had been injured in the duel?

Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist and was a major contributor to The Federalist Papers. Hamilton served in the US Congress and then served brilliantly as Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington. Aaron Burr, on the other hand, was a
Republican. Their differences go back many years prior to their fateful meeting in 1804. One of the first negative interactions occurred in 1791 when Burr won a senate seat from Hamilton’s father-in-law. Hamilton was serving as Secretary of the Treasury to President Washington at the time and was frustrated with Burr’s win of the senate seat.
In 1800, Aaron Burr ran for President. He tied in the Electoral College with fellow Republican Thomas Jefferson, so the decision of who was to be President was decided in the House of Representatives. The Federalists, who hated Jefferson, seemed intent on electing Aaron Burr rather than Jefferson. Hamilton lobbied hard for Jefferson with his Federalist colleagues suggesting that Burr was not an honorable man. The fact that Hamilton lobbied for Jefferson rather than Burr demonstrates the extent of his dislike for Burr. Hamilton and Jefferson were the bitterest of rivals while serving the in the administration of President Washington – Jefferson as Secretary of State and Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury. Of course, Thomas Jefferson became President and Burr was relegated to the Vice Presidency.
Then in 1804, Burr ran for Governor of New York. Burr ran as an Independent rather than a Republican and, again, Hamilton opposed Burr and encouraged his fellow Federalists not to support Burr. Burr ultimately lost the election to Morgan Lewis, the Republican nominee. Burr’s situation was worsening as his term as Vice President was coming to an end. He was in serious debt and, as a private citizen, would have little shelter from creditors.
In that same year, a letter was published in a New York newspaper quoting Hamilton making disparaging remarks about Burr. As a result of the published letter, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. It may be that Burr believed that a duel with Hamilton would revive his political career. Perhaps Burr was sincerely offended and frustrated with Hamilton and felt a duel was the appropriate recourse. In any case, Hamilton was obliged to accept, in spite of the ironic fact that Hamilton considered himself “strongly opposed to the practice of dueling”.
It should also be noted that this was
Show More

Related Documents: Hamilton-Burr Duel Essays

Burr-Hamilton Duel: Founding Brothers

the famed Burr-Hamilton Duel. Ellis opens the chapter with a typical, one-paragraph summary of the duel. However, this brief summary does not exhibit the reason why this interview was “the most famous duel in American history…” and for this reason, Ellis goes on to write a more detailed version of The Duel that resulted in Hamilton’s death. The author then explains why these two refined gentlemen had taken part in this deadly meeting, Aaron Burr being Vice President, and Alexander Hamilton being one…

Words 313 - Pages 2

Why Did Most Bierists Survive Their Duel Encounters?

#13 – The Duel 1. The practice of dueling might lead some to believe that the early national period was a more violent time than we live in. Is that accurate? Why did most duelists survive their duel encounters? Although the practice of dueling may make it appear as though the national period was an unusually violent time, this inference is not accurate. At this time, dueling was meant to be an honorable way to settle questions of honor. Typically, it was not supposed to be a way to kill someone…

Words 877 - Pages 4

Aaron Burr Shooting Research Paper

or more individuals, especially in the form of duels. No matter how miniscule or major an issue could have been, if a person felt that their pride had been wounded, there was a chance for them to challenge the person who had wronged them to a duel. This was mainly seen as the solution to problems in the late 1700’s-mid 1800’s of history. Over the years, public opinion of duels had been soured by the amount of bloodshed, consequently leading to duels being completely outlawed in 1859, with several…

Words 542 - Pages 3

Summary Of Duel By Thomas Fleming

Danny Murray History November 1, 2015 Paper Duel What we seem to encounter in reading Duel by Thomas Fleming is a relationship of two men Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr was charged mainly by their political views and their personal angst against each other. The book begins with a comparison of the two men. They may have been enemies, but they had so many similarities. Fleming is going to speak on how these two shaped the United States, and show how I agree with Fleming’s argument on how…

Words 1081 - Pages 5

Alexander Hamilton Research Paper

Alexander Hamilton because of a specific duel taking place in 1804. The election of 1800 led to the Hamilton and Burr duel. Aaron Burr ran for president against Thomas Jefferson (History Channel, 3). The vote came down to one person, Hamilton. Burr had lots of confidence in becoming president because Burr and Hamilton were friends since they were 19 years old, but Hamilton voted for Jefferson. Burr got very angry because of that. Hamilton has despised Thomas Jefferson since the beginning, so Burr thought…

Words 568 - Pages 3

Examples Of Envy In Beowulf

historic duel between Hamilton and Burr. In fact, both of these stories end in death. Grendel is a vicious monster that repeatedly attacks the great hall of Hereot, killing large numbers of residents: “Grendel was the name of this Grim demon… / Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed / and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel” (Heaney, 102-107). The significance of the Christian narrator is apparent in this description…

Words 1124 - Pages 5

Alexander Hamilton Founding Father

Alexander Hamilton How does an orphan from the Caribbean, grow up to be a Founding Father? As one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton’s story is untold to many people, after all he did to serve this country. Alexander Hamilton, known as one of the Founding Fathers, the man on the ten-dollar bill is the father of the American treasury system, one of the primary authors of the Federalist Papers, and the loser of the infamous duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. The American Treasury…

Words 570 - Pages 3

Violence: A Comparison Between Aaron Burr And Alexander Hamilton

wronged them to a duel. As the years went by, public opinion of duels had been soured by the amount of bloodshed, and duels were completely outlawed by 1859, with several states banning the practice of dueling years prior. The most famous duel in American history was the duel between Aaron Burr, the former vice president under Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of the United States. The duel had been declared by Burr as retaliation to Hamilton publicly demeaning Burr in a published…

Words 213 - Pages 1

Chapter Statement: Assignment Of Burr Vs. Hamilton

state governor II. 1. “Aaron Burr left… seven surviving children.” (pg. 21- 26) This portion of the chapter is the first time we are introduced to any of the founding ‘brothers’ or to the situation between Burr and Hamilton. Since I had no prior knowledge of the encounter or the people it involved, I thought that this was essential and an excellent introduction to both items. It describes Aaron Burr, the vice president of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury…

Words 642 - Pages 3

Aaron Burr: Breaking News: A Nationwide Up Rage

Treasury Alexander Hamilton was pronounced dead. He suffered from a fatal gunshot wound where the bullet was logged between his stomach and his spine. He suffered many hours until his death. Who is his killer you might ask. His name is Aaron Burr. A man of such political powers our Vice President and a former Puritan murdered Hamilton. This is an issue of jealousy and hatred. There has always been a clash between Hamilton and Burr. There lifestyles were complete opposites. Hamilton was a dark man…

Words 545 - Pages 3