Aaron Burr And Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton insulted Burr but asking him what the word “despicable” meant which not only insulted Burr’s character, but his intelligence. Hamilton and Burr were constantly bickering in letters so Burr asked for a public apology, later leading to a duel

The chapters are titled "The Generation", "The Duel", "The Dinner", "The Silence", "The Farewell", "The Collaborators" and "The Friendship". In "The Duel", the story of the legendary duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr is related in its entirety. It was by far the most prominent deadly standoff between two men in history. Ellis relates the background and brief biographies of the two men involved in the duel. He also reveals the context for the duel, a culmination of political and personal jabs at Burrs character by Hamilton. In fact these jabs held a good deal of truth, and finally resulted in Burr challenging Hamilton. Both Hamilton and Burr went to the plains in Weehawken to conduct the duel in defense of their honor and characters. Historically, Hamilton is seen as a martyr in the duel and Burr seen as a treacherous murderer. This Hamiltonian viewpoint is dominant among historians because it is widely believed that Hamilton went into the duel not intending to fire a shot and that Burr fired the first shot. Ellis believes this version of the story to be wrong. He believes that Hamilton honored his bargain of not firing on Burr, wasting his first shot by firing it into the trees. Burr, thinking that Hamilton fired at him, shot and killed Hamilton with his shot.

Alexander Hamilton was one of the key, founding figures of the Federalist, a political party who believed in a strong, national government. However, Aaron Burr considered himself a Democratic-Republican, a political party who favored for the states to have more power than the national government; in other words, both men believed in the exact opposite for the government of the United States. As a result, Hamilton and Burr disagreed on many things, resulting in a great amount of animosity towards each other. The duel was held on Wednesday, July 11, 1804 in Weehawken, New Jersey. The choice of weapon for the duel was a pistol chosen by Hamilton since he was the one challenged. Again since he was the challenged, Hamilton had the choice of position, so he chose a place located upstream. However, that would include one of many mistakes that would cost him his life. As both men shot at each other, only one was hit. Shot in a fatal location, Hamilton was hit on his right side, right above his hip. Ellis states, “Hamilton himself recognized his own condition almost immediately…Meanwhile, Burr seemed surprised and regretful at the outcome of his shot” (25). The two eyewitnesses at the time, Pendleton and Van Ness, decided to make a “Joint Statement” in which they stated that both men upheld the “code duello”,

Ellis seems to be biased in his writing. He tries to be objective when explaining the relationship of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, by detailing Hamilton’s concerns about Burr’s character during a time period where it mattered. Unlike the other figures mentioned later it is hard to contort the perspective of Burr into a leader that needs to be revered. Ellis does however show that Burr and Hamilton were very much alike and that many of the other political pioneers had legitimate concerns about Hamilton’s character. That is where the objectivity ends however.

Ellis’ novel seeks to find the truth in the moments of history. In the first chapter, the Hamilton and Burr duel is introduced. This is considered one of the most famous duels in American history. The author states that the story is presented with “all available and indisputable evidence” (Ellis 36). Through out the retelling of this same tale, many versions have arisen. All affected by bias in favor for the dueling sides of Burr or Hamilton. The author wishes to layout the facts and presents the most accurate version of the story possible. Ellis delves into detail about all the possible scenarios of the gentlemen’s duel. He explains the most realistic version accounting for who fired, if they both fired shots, and whether or not they were aiming. The truth is explained here and doesn’t adhere to the Hamiltonian or Burr version. As stated in the book, “The Hamiltonian story required a distortion in the

Folks might assume that Hamilton and Burr were complete opposites but surprisingly, they were the same in many ways. They both held a fierce desire to lead their troops to victory. Their similarities led to various rivalries between them. Contemplate the old adage, “opposites attract, and like repel.” (Hamilton vs. Burr)

At the time of the duel, Hamilton’s Federalist party was in decline after losing the Presidency. After his dull Vice Presidency, Burr had lost the support of even his own Republican Party. This fear of political amnesty explains why these two would be willing to risk their lives for political reputation. Honor was a reoccurring theme in this chapter, as was the separation between the private and

Despite the disparity in the popularity ratings between the two presidents, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln are both indispensable figures in American history. In times of crisis, both of these men made big, consequential decisions to keep the country from falling apart. However, while Lincoln is commemorated for abolishing slavery and leading the Union in the Civil War, John Adams is remembered for the mistakes of his presidency—the Alien and Sedition Acts he issued that took away certain constitutional rights endowed to the American people. Both presidents thought they were doing what was necessary at the time to keep the United States from falling apart, but the contrasting approaches they used left opposite impressions. This can be contributed to the fact that almost all aspects of their lives, personal and professional, were opposite. So, while both presidents essentially did the same thing in saving America from falling apart, their reputations are so different now because of the way their lives and situations influenced the decisions they made.

From the beginning, America has been a safe place for the fostering and cultivating of new thoughts and ideologies, but not without repercussion. This is evident in the life of both John Winthrop and James Madison. From early on in their political careers, both leaders faced political opposition. John Winthrop left familiarity in search of religious freedom and the pursuit of a life pleasing to God. James Madison, in creativity, thought of an entirely renovated way to successfully restructure the government of a nation that acted more as separate states. By using their backgrounds as a driving force for innovation they renovate governmental systems and lead the people from the ground up, inspired by Reformation and republicanism. Their implementation of government was different in emphasis, but the republican ideals behind it were the same.

Andrew Jackson is being kicked off the twenty dollar bill by the one and only Harriet Tubman. She will be the first female face in U.S. history to be put on a paper bill. At first Tubman was supposed to replace Hamilton on the ten, however as fate would have it the fans of the new Broadway musical were against it. The new decision is said not only to be a better one it is also ironic.

The first story is the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was wounded and died on the next day, but Aaron’s political career was hurt too much that it would forever not be recovered. Understanding their personalities gives the answer for their fateful ending and legacy. Burr’s philosophy was more democratic than Hamilton, and he supported for slavery abolishing and for spreading land ownership. These ideas of Burr, which had been the foundation for the Civil War in the middle of 19th century, come from the root of his characteristic, as Ellis drew “Whereas Burr’s overall demeanor seemed subdued, as if the compressed energies of New England Puritanism were coiled up inside him, waiting for the opportunity to explode, Hamilton conveyed kinetic energy incessantly expressing itself in burst of conspicuous brilliance” (p.22). History has been considered Burr as a progressive and aggressive person, even

In order to fully understand the actual letters and how they are connected, it is important to look at the actual events that occurred that led to the final written interactions between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Burr and Hamilton are casually connected throughout their lives, first meeting each other at the Elizabethtown Academy

Benjamin Franklin and John Winthrop, men with different ideals, present the same notion that America should be presented as a “city upon a hill.” Franklin believed that the American dream should be presented as an ideal where men and women are equal and can both move up in social class on their own, practicing any religion they desired. On the other hand, Winthrop believed that the new world was a religious safe haven only for the Puritans. American Exceptionalism was overall the main focus, guiding America to define itself as a special nation founded upon democratic values and liberty.

1 Joseph J. Ellis, “The Duel,” in Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, (New York, NY:

Alexander Hamilton was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in the West Indies on the 11th 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