The Duel
Alexander Hamilton Vs. Aaron Burr
July 11, 1804= In a duel held in Weehawken, New Jersey, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political
antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist & the chief
architect of America’s political economy, died the following day.
Alexander Hamilton, born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, came to the
American colonies in 1773 as a poor immigrant. (There is some controversy
as to the year of his birth, but it was either 1755 or 1757.) In 1776, he joined
the Continental Army in the American Revolution, & his relentless energy
& remarkable intelligence brought him to the attention of General George
Washington, who took him on as an aid. 10 years later, Hamilton served as
a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, & he led the fight to win
ratification of the US Constitution, which created the kind of strong,
centralized government that he favored. In 1789, he was appointed the first
Secretary of the Treasury by President Washington. During the next 6 years,
Hamilton created a strong financial plan that saved the United States from
economic collapse. With the emergence of political parties, Hamilton was
regarded as the leader of the Federalists.
Aaron Burr was born into a prestigious New Jersey family in 1756. He was also very intelligent & he graduated from the
College of New Jersey (later Princeton) at the age of 17. He joined the Continental Army in 1775 & distinguished himself
during the Battle of Quebec. As a prominent member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Burr was elected to the New State
Assembly in 1783. In 1790, he defeated Alexander Hamilton’s powerful father-in-law in a race for the US Senate.
After Burr’s Senate victory, Hamilton began to detest him. When Burr ran for the Presidency in 1796, Hamilton launched a
series of public attacks against Burr. Hamilton famously said: I feel it is a religious duty to oppose Burr’s career. John
Adams (Federalist) defeated Burr in the Presidential election. In 1797, Burr left the US Senate & returned to the New York
Assembly.
In 1800, Burr ran for President once again. During this campaign, Burr obtained an essay entitled The Public Conduct &
Character of John Adams, Esq., President of the United States. This essay, which was highly critical of Adams, was written
by Hamilton & intended for private circulation only. However, Burr published this confidential document & its distribution
proved highly embarrassing to Hamilton. This incident caused a rift in the Federalist Party, which helped both Jefferson &
Burr earn more votes than John Adams in the Presidential election. In fact, Jefferson & Burr received 73 electoral votes
apiece.
Under the electoral procedure then prevailing, the candidate who received the most votes was elected President, & the
second in line, Vice President. Since Jefferson & Burr tied, the vote then went to the House of Representatives. After a
remarkable 35 tie votes, a small group of Federalists (who had initially preferred Burr over Jefferson) finally changed sides
& voted in Jefferson’s favor. Alexander Hamilton, who had supported Jefferson as the lesser of two evils, was instrumental
in getting those Federalists to switch their votes from Burr to Jefferson.
Burr became Jefferson’s Vice President, but Jefferson grew apart from him, & he did not support Burr’s renomination to a
second term in 1804. That same year, while finishing his term as Vice President, Aaron Burr campaigned to be the Governor
of New York. Throughout this campaign, Hamilton continued to speak out against Burr & savagely attacked Burr’s character.
Not surprisingly, Burr lost the Governorship. After the election, Burr resolved to restore his political reputation by
challenging Hamilton to a duel, or an Affair of Honor, as they were called.
Duels were commonplace in America at the time & the complex rules governing them usually led to an honorable resolution
before any actual firing of weapons. In fact, the outspoken Hamilton had been involved in several duels in his life & he had
resolved most of them peaceably. No such recourse was found with Burr, however. On July 11, 1804, the enemies met at
7:00am at the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey. It was the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending
his father’s honor (in a duel) in 1801.
There are conflicting accounts of what
happened next. According to Hamilton’s
assistant & witness in the duel–Hamilton
decided the duel was morally wrong &
deliberately fired into the air. However,
Burr’s assistant (& witness) claimed that
Hamilton fired at Burr & simply missed.
What happened next is agreed upon: Burr
shot Hamilton in the stomach, & the
bullet lodged next to his spine. Hamilton
was taken back to New York, & he died the
next afternoon.
Few duels actually resulted in casualties &
the nation was outraged by Alexander Hamilton’s death. Charged with murder in New York & New Jersey, Burr, who was
still Vice president, returned to Washington DC to finish-out his term. Burr was immune from punishment.
In 1805, Burr constructed a plot with General James Wilkinson of the US Army, to seize the Louisiana Territory, which
President Jefferson had just purchased from France. Together, they planned to establish an independent empire in
Louisiana & Burr would become its leader. Burr even contacted the British government & unsuccessfully pleaded for
assistance in his scheme.
In the fall of 1806, Burr led a group of well-armed colonists to Louisiana, prompting an immediate US investigation. General
Wilkinson, in an effort to save himself, turned against Burr & sent messages to President Jefferson accusing Burr of treason.
In February 1807, Burr was arrested & sent to Virginia to await trial. In September, he was acquitted on a technicality.
Nevertheless, public opinion condemned him as a traitor & he fled to Europe. He ultimately returned to New York in 1812
to practice law. The murder charges against Burr were completely forgotten. He died of natural causes in 1836.