Killing A Man, The Vice Presidnetial Way

[PBrunsel]

Vice President Aaron Burr had had enough of it in 1803. Alexander Hamilton had called him a fool and a liar infront of the entire Congress. Burr had to have his honor fullfilled, so he challenged Hamilton to a duel at dawn. The duel was fought in Conneticut, and Hamilton was killed when Burr was allowed the first shot. Now Aaron Burr had killed a man, oh no!

Burr could have resigned from offcie as Spiro Agnew had done in the 1970's, but he chose a different way: Just keeping the job. He served as vice president until 1804, when the word got araound that he killed Hamilton. Burr was a wanted man in New York, Hamilton's home state, and Conneticut, where the duel occured. Burr was replaced by George Clinton in 1804 as Thomas Jefferson's running mate.

Martin Van Buren ,a young New York attorney, defended Burr and won the trial. But Burr's problems were not over with yet. Burr was involoved in a plan to create an empire out of the Louisiana Territory. He wanted to take large portions of Louisiana and stretch every southward into Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and South America. This is treason. he wanted to crown himself Emperor of North America. Burr now was a traitor, and he fled to England. Burr was scorned as a traitor and a murderer untill he died a broken and forgotten man in New York City.

[PBrunsel]

Today is the anniversary of this event.

[PBrunsel]

Hamilton was an economic genious, he just had a big ego.

[PBrunsel]

Hamilton was an economic genious, he just had a big ego.

I know he was in favour of a strong central government and was a Federalist (obviously).

His bond programs saved the economy.

[PBrunsel]

People were probably much more polite in the days of dueling.

Yeah. If it was still leagal Cheney could have dueled with that Senator he told to f**k off! That would have been quite the media blitz.

[PBrunsel]

Is there an evidence of the claim that Van Buren was actually Aaron Burr's illegitimate son?  (Very prominent in the Gore Vidal's fictionalized biography)

That could be true. Burr stopped by the Vamn Buren Tavern in Kinderhook, New York, many times.