I've always thought Burr should have gotten a medal. Hamilton had a lot of good points, but he would have had us in another monarchy complete with an aristocracy if he had gotten his way.
If anyone is really interested in the rivalry going on between Jefferson, Hamilton, and Burr, I would suggest looking up the book Ordeal of Ambition: Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr. by Jonathan Daniels
You can get a copy for as little as $0.79 plus postage on Amazon.
As for the duel ... it proved useful. Burr was aquited ... but all of the Federalist appointed judges still wanted his head. One would issue a summons, and Burr would drag them into the Senate for impeachment for judicial incompetence.
You guys are kidding right? You think Aaron Burr is the one to root for? He was accused of treason in an underhanded deal in order to crown himself King of the Louisiana territories.
An underhanded deal in order to crown himself King of the Louisiana Territories? - so the Huey Long tradition predates him actually, and still continues today!
He was involved in a conspiracy to invade Mexico and free it from the Dons .... He lived long enough to see the start of the US - Mexico war ... and was crowing about it to his colleges.
All of the "treason" crap is mostly Federalist propaganda. They never forgave him for shooting their tin god, and for using his position as VP to purge nearly all of the fed judges Washington appointed.
OK, I'm a little late on this - probably for the best so as to avoid the flames...but you're all dead wrong. Hamilton risked his life in the fight for independence, and he had a vision of a great nation capable of making its way in a dangerous world. Consider the precarious and weak position of the country when he was advocating a strongly centralized federal governtment; actually sit down and read his essays in the Federalist series. His arguments for centralized power are powerful and clearsighted. Reject them if you like, given 200 years of hindsight...Maybe his admiration for monarchy and advocacy for a strong federal branch laid seeds for the overbearing DC of today. But maybe his influence saved us the fate of balkanized petty States at war with one another and a field for constant intrigue by other powers. And maybe both views are correct. But the man was a cold-eyed realist and a Patriot. Celebrating the result of that duel by the Hudson is about six kinds of screwed up.
He put all of his cronies in the judiciary, set up an unconstitutional national bank, and used 15,000 federal troops to hunt down and kill his personal enemies in PA AFTER the Whiskey Rebellion petered out and stood down on it's own.
Jefferson and Burr's judiciary purge is exactly why we did not end up as some kind of banana republic ... and their decision to shut down the Bank of America protected our currency until the start of the civil war.
On top of that, Hamilton was slandering Burr for years behind his back, while maintaining Burr as a friend ... which was the ultimate reason for the duel.
Being Washington's ADC does not excuse his behavior, AFAIAC.
Call me a romantic, but those were the days.
ReplyDeleteRather ungentlemanly, wouldn't you say? Be a lot more impressive if he'd taken his shot before Hamilton got rid of his and stood before him unarmed.
ReplyDeleteThat's the breaks of the code duello.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought Burr should have gotten a medal. Hamilton had a lot of good points, but he would have had us in another monarchy complete with an aristocracy if he had gotten his way.
ReplyDeleteBurr was no prize either. I believe he would have run the goverment for his own benifit. (I guess he was born 200 years early.)
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is really interested in the rivalry going on between Jefferson, Hamilton, and Burr, I would suggest looking up the book Ordeal of Ambition: Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr. by Jonathan Daniels
ReplyDeleteYou can get a copy for as little as $0.79 plus postage on Amazon.
As for the duel ... it proved useful. Burr was aquited ... but all of the Federalist appointed judges still wanted his head. One would issue a summons, and Burr would drag them into the Senate for impeachment for judicial incompetence.
My favorite Filter song!
ReplyDeleteI'm partial to their collaboration with Crystal Method on "Trip Like I Do".
ReplyDeleteIs THAT who's on that too? Great road/driving music and IMO the best thing on "Vegas" - which is the only CM recording I have.
ReplyDeleteDifferent remix than the original on Vegas DirtCrashr. Though CM (and the Filter colab) is great driving music.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll load it all up for my trip this weekend as a matter of fact...
You guys are kidding right? You think Aaron Burr is the one to root for? He was accused of treason in an underhanded deal in order to crown himself King of the Louisiana territories.
ReplyDeleteThe man was an aspiring tyrant.
Hey, in a perfect world they'd have gapped each other, but I'll take what I can get.
ReplyDeleteAn underhanded deal in order to crown himself King of the Louisiana Territories? - so the Huey Long tradition predates him actually, and still continues today!
ReplyDeleteBurr was .... strange.
ReplyDeleteHe was involved in a conspiracy to invade Mexico and free it from the Dons .... He lived long enough to see the start of the US - Mexico war ... and was crowing about it to his colleges.
All of the "treason" crap is mostly Federalist propaganda. They never forgave him for shooting their tin god, and for using his position as VP to purge nearly all of the fed judges Washington appointed.
OK, I'm a little late on this - probably for the best so as to avoid the flames...but you're all dead wrong. Hamilton risked his life in the fight for independence, and he had a vision of a great nation capable of making its way in a dangerous world. Consider the precarious and weak position of the country when he was advocating a strongly centralized federal governtment; actually sit down and read his essays in the Federalist series. His arguments for centralized power are powerful and clearsighted. Reject them if you like, given 200 years of hindsight...Maybe his admiration for monarchy and advocacy for a strong federal branch laid seeds for the overbearing DC of today. But maybe his influence saved us the fate of balkanized petty States at war with one another and a field for constant intrigue by other powers. And maybe both views are correct. But the man was a cold-eyed realist and a Patriot. Celebrating the result of that duel by the Hudson is about six kinds of screwed up.
ReplyDelete"But the man was a cold-eyed realist and a Patriot."
ReplyDeleteSo were a lot of other people we rightly loathe today...
Hamilton was a statist wanker.
ReplyDeleteHe put all of his cronies in the judiciary, set up an unconstitutional national bank, and used 15,000 federal troops to hunt down and kill his personal enemies in PA AFTER the Whiskey Rebellion petered out and stood down on it's own.
Jefferson and Burr's judiciary purge is exactly why we did not end up as some kind of banana republic ... and their decision to shut down the Bank of America protected our currency until the start of the civil war.
On top of that, Hamilton was slandering Burr for years behind his back, while maintaining Burr as a friend ... which was the ultimate reason for the duel.
Being Washington's ADC does not excuse his behavior, AFAIAC.