21/07/2024
Once upon a Time: BURR–HAMILTON DUEL 1804
Burr’s election to the Senate in 1791 fueled his rivalry with Hamilton
Hamilton may have hated Jefferson’s politics, but he distrusted Burr more. Burr became vice president, but when he was dumped from the ticket before the election of 1804, he decided to run for governor of New York. His fellow New Yorker, Hamilton, once again manipulated his defeat, and Burr lost by a large margin.
After his gubernatorial defeat, Burr learned of Hamilton’s remarks about his character and demanded his apology for every slanderous thing ever said about him. Hamilton refused to apologize, and the pair exchanged a series of letters which eventually cul
BURR–HAMILTON DUEL took place in Weehawken, New Jersey, between Aaron Burr, the third U.S. vice president at the time, and Alexander Hamilton, the first and former Secretary of the Treasury, at dawn on July 11, 1804. The duel was the culmination of a bitter rivalry that had developed over years between both men, who were high-profile politicians in the newly-established United States, founded following the victorious American Revolution and its associated Revolutionary War
Burr shot Hamilton in the abdomen. Hamilton returned fire and hit a tree branch above and behind Burr's head. Hamilton was transported across the Hudson River for treatment in present-day Greenwich Village in New York City, where he died the following day, on July 12, 1804.
Hamilton's death permanently weakened the Federalist Party, which was founded by Hamilton in 1789 and one of the nation's major two parties at the time. It also ended Burr's political career, as he was vilified for shooting Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton died close to the spot where his son Philip Hamilton died in a separate duel.
Whether or not Hamilton did indeed “throw away his shot” is a question that’s puzzled people ever since. In the aftermath of the duel, Alexander Hamilton was lionized for his achievements, while Aaron Burr lived in his foe’s shadow, enmeshed in a series of scandals that ended his once-promising career. Burr’s duel with Hamilton forever changed his legacy
After killing Hamilton, Burr’s career never recovered
