Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr (1756 - 1836) served as the vice president of Thomas Jefferson from 1801 to 1805. In the election Burr recieved the same number of votes as did Jefferson. It was due to Alexander Hamilton's opposition that Jefferson became president and Burr vice-president. Later on he lost the 1804 election for Governor of New York again due to Hamilton. [1] Because he felt that Hamilton had ruined his political career, Burr shot and killed Hamilton in a duel. Burr later attempted to steal the Louisiana Purchase from the United States and use it to satisfy his ambitions for power. [2] He was eventually tried for treason, but the jury aquitted him of all charges.
See also
Although still quite common, dueling had been outlawed in New York and also New Jersey, but Hamilton and Burr were not citizens of New Jersey, so on July 11, 1804, the enemies met outside of Weehawken, New Jersey, and Hamilton was fatally shot.
Bibliography
- Jefferson and the Gun-Men: How the West Was Almost Lost by M.R. Montgomery
Notes
- ↑ Fandex, Workman Publishing, 2002.
- ↑ "Aaron Burr, former vice-president and senator from New York (and a failed candidate for the New York governorship), was plotting to take over the Louisiana Territory. While the exact details of Burr's vision have long been a matter of historical debate, the gist is that he envisioned a separate country, with New Orleans as capital and himself as impresario. With a few important backers, from Andrew Jackson to the Catholic bishop of New Orleans and chief of America's armed forces General James Wilkinson." (Publishers Weekly)