Today In History: Burr-Hamilton Duel

The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.

Alexander Hamilton, “The Farmer Refuted,” The Works of Alexander Hamilton, ed. John C. Hamilton, vol. 2, p. 80 (1850). Bartleby.

At dawn on July 11th, 1804, one of the most infamous duels in the history of the United States took place. Vice President Aaron Burr, a Democratic-Republican, and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, faced off with loaded pistols in Weehawken, New Jersey.  Intent on settling their political differences, the duel was the culmination of their bitter discord, stemming in part from Hamilton's influence in the election of President Thomas Jefferson for a second term.

The tragic duel resulted in Hamilton's death on July 12th, 1804, over much controversy regarding the first shot.  Opposing duel for religious and practical reasons, Hamilton intended not to fire at Burr,  but Burr did not refrain. The Vice President was charged with murder in New York and New Jersey, though the case did not reach trial, and he ultimately fled to St Simons Island in Georgia, before returning to Washington, D.C., to complete his term of office.

Alexander Hamilton, born in the West Indies and educated at Kings College, now Columbia University, was a lawyer by training and became an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. He was one of three delegates from New York to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Along with co-authors James Madison and John Jay, he wrote The Federalist papers and proposed a National Bank to fund the states' Revolutionary War debts.

Aaron Burr's supporters and descendants would continue to dispute the conditions surrounding the tragic duel for decades to come, wishing to clear his name.

In popular culture, the Broadway musical Hamilton, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2016, recounts the life of Alexander Hamilton and concludes with the duel in the final scene.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• The 11th of July: Historical Milestones Set up on This Date. (1889, Jul 11). Los Angeles Times (1886-1922) 
• Sketch of Aaron Burr: The Memorable Due and the Trial for Conspiracy.  (1890, Sep 14). Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922) 
• The Burr-Hamilton Duel One Hundred Years Ago: Newspaper Accounts at the Time -- Curious History of the Pistols and the Monument to Hamilton. (1904, Jul 10). New York Times (1857-1922) 
• Riesenberg, S. H. (1914, Jul 26). Famous American Duels: III. Hamilton-Burr. The Sun (1837-) 
• Works, L. R. (1926, Feb 21). The Burr-Hamilton Duel: New Light on a Dramatic Event of the Nation's Early Years: the Burr-Hamilton Duel. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 
• Monroe Letter, Challenging Hamilton to Duel, Is Bared: Remarkable Document, Entrusted to Aaron Burr for Delivery Seven Years Before Latter Killed Patriot, Is Found in Philadelphia. (1932, Mar 22). The Washington Post (1923-1954) 
• Fulling, A. S. (1954, Jul 11). America's Most Famous Duel: Hamilton-Burr Case is 150 Years Old. The Hartford Courant (1923-) 
• Santi, A.S. S. (1990, Apr 15). Burr's Descendants Challenge the Blots on His Reputation: A Group Looks Beyond the Duel and a Treason Trial. New York Times (1923-) 
• Powell, M.  (2004, Jul 11). Back When Political Duels Were Really Deadly: Vice president Burr's Slaying of Alexander Hamilton Gets Bicentennial Replay By Their Families. The Washington Post (1974-) 
• Dunn, S. (2015, Dec 13). Who Lives, Who Dies: Telling the Story of the Rivalry That Led to the Burr-Hamilton Duel. New York Times (1923-) 

Tips:

• Kennedy, Roger G. Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson : A Study in Character. 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 2000. e-book.
• Martin, Robert W. T., and Douglas Ambrose. The Many Faces of Alexander Hamilton The Life and Legacy of America’s Most Elusive Founding Father. 1st ed., New York University Press, 2006. e-book.
• St. George, Judith. The Duel : The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr. Viking, 2009. CURR E302.6.H2 S77 2009
• Syrett, Harold C., et al. Interview in Weehawken : As Told in the Original Documents, the Burr-Hamilton Duel. First Wesleyan paperback edition., Wesleyan University Press, 2018. e-book.
• Worth, Richard. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2019. e-book.

Images:

• Duel Between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: Burr and Hamilton, Courtesy of Canva.

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