The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804 is still
remembered today as being very significant in the political life of the
country. Hamilton and Burr met in Weehawken on the 11th of July, and they
loaded their pistols in each others presence. They measured off the
distance, and they had someone else give the word. They both fired at the
same time, and Hamilton was killed. The repercussions spread out through
the political world and the death of Hamilton caused political changes that
otherwise may not have even happened. The purpose of this paper is to show
how Hamilton's death affected politics in the country, and why the duel
between Hamilton and Burr was so significant.
Hamilton said, in one of his writings, that he had no problem with
Burr, other than the fact that they had opposing political views. This was
hardly a worthwhile and significant reason to engage in a duel where at
least one of them would certainly die. Some people, however, believe that
there were problems between Hamilton and Burr that went back as far as 25
years before their deadly duel. The truth will probably never be known,
but whatever the reason for the duel, the effects of it lasted for a long
The backgrounds of the two men, as well as their political views,
personal occupations, and national ambitions were very different, and this
could easily have set them up for the problems that they found with each
other. It could have also led to the duel that took the life of Hamilton.
Upon first examination, the two men seem very similar. They were both
small men, and they dressed much the same. Their mannerisms and their
voices were strong and confident, and their eyes had a very penetrating
quality. There were no obvious reasons in a general sense why they would
have had significant problems with each other.
Their likenesses became their downfall, however. It i...