Alexander Hamilton And Aaron Burr

On the morning of July 11, 1804 in New Jersey, near the shore of the Hudson River, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had their famous duel, which the two agreed on after a series of events. Many things led to the infamous duel that morning. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had different upbringings. The former grew up on the island of Nevis, born of parents not in marriage. His mother was a prostitute and the father accused her of “whoring around”. At ten years old, his father left and at fourteen his mother died. He had to made a living in an economy rooted in slavery, developing his dark view of human nature. He was gifted in mathematics and finance, and became head clerk of a shipping company at fifteen. His energy and ambition sent him

to college in America, where he joined the army and became a top aide of General Washington. On the other hand, Aaron Burr grew up in a well-known, prestigious, and religious family. He was rebellious against his strict Puritan childhood, and when at Princeton, he liked to go to taverns and meet young women. Burr enlisted in the army and became a strong leader. Both Burr and Hamilton moved to New York after the war and became lawyers. Burr was justified in dueling Alexander Hamilton according to their interactions regarding the Senatorial Election of 1791, Presidential Election of 1800, and New York Gubernatorial Election in 1804.
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s first major encounter was at the Senatorial Election in 1791.

Hamilton was trying to get his father-in-law, who shared his economic ideas, in the New York seat, but Burr stood in his way. As a good politician, Burr avoided controversial issues and used his persona and charisma to win votes. He won the election and Hamilton was aggravated, since there was a man standing in the way of his goal: to make his vision of America a reality. Hamilton naturally distrusted people, and to him you were either his mortal enemy or a lifelong friend. He then sent letters trying to attack Burr’s character and destroy his reputation. Hamilton was an extremely aggressive and wanted to model the entire government by himself. When Burr opposed him, he attacked Burr, calling him an opportunist and a dangerous man, and provoking the duel to

come.
Hamilton and Burr met again in the year 1800 for the Presidential Election, where their animosity began to escalate significantly.

Thomas Jefferson ran with his running mate Aaron Burr, but somehow they tied for the position and stayed deadlocked for several weeks. It was up to the House of Representatives, with the majority being Federalists, to break the tie. Hamilton was a Federalist and felt it was his duty to oppose Burr. Hamilton wrote more attacks in order to taint Burr’s reputation, and put the vote in Jefferson’s favor, despite political disagreements with him. When the vote came, Alexander Hamilton convinced many of the Federalists to cast blank votes, manipulating the election to his will. Burr lost the election and became the Vice-President, however, because of the nature of the election, Jefferson felt attacked by Burr and treated him poorly. With little to no power, and isolation from the government, Burr became very depressed. In this occurrence, Hamilton instigated further reaction from Burr and pollute his political

career.
The third and final interaction between Burr and Hamilton was during the Gubernatorial Election in New York in the year 1804. This time, Burr ran as a Federalist, causing Hamilton to be outraged. Hamilton publicly attacked him, telling the Federalists to vote for the devil instead of Burr. Burr lost the Federalist nomination, and ran as an independent. Federalist media, particularly the newspapers, attacked Burr on his private life, regarding the time he spent with various prostitutes. Burr’s political career was on the brink of disaster, he lost the election, became depressed, and determined that he needed to do something bold to defend his honor. At this time, many politicians would enter Affairs of Honor. It was a way to prove that they were willing to die to defend their honor. Many were resolved before the dueling ground, but not this time. Burr chose to duel Hamilton, who had provoked and attacked him and his honor for at least fifteen years. He needed proof of Hamilton criticizing his character in order to validate his need for a duel. A newspaper containing a letter from Dr. Cooper, who heard Hamilton call Burr a “dangerous man” and said he had a “more despicable opinion of Burr”. This was the proof he needed, so he sent a letter to Hamilton asking for a confirmation or denial of his statements. Hamilton responded with an offensive letter that lectured him on the definition of despicable and was very aggressive. There was a further exchange of letters, in which Burr asked for an apology for all Hamilton’s insulting statements, but he adamantly refused, since this would be very humiliating and ruin his own career. Hamilton also offered a provocative remark that he was ready to face the consequences at the dueling ground, which was a very obnoxious and in-your-face response.
The conflict escalated to the dueling ground, where Hamilton either missed or “threw away his shot” (there are different accounts from each duelist’s second, which is like a witness) and then Burr shot him. The bullet went through his stomach and lodged next to his spine, causing him to die a few days later, surrounded by his wife and children. There was widespread outrage over his death, and ironically, Burr’s political life was further destroyed. While Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton both had their fair share of questionable actions, Hamilton was an aggressor and wanted to make the government how he dreamed. He wrote insulting letters and was very careless, and interfered too much in Burr’s campaigns. He brought Burr into depression and ruined his career. Hamilton also tried to undermine and manipulate the American election system. Because of their encounters and communication at the Senatorial Election of 1791, Presidential Election of 1800, and New York Gubernatorial Election of 1804, Burr was justified in dueling Hamilton.