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Hamilton vs Burr Duel

1:17:00 recording · EN · 2 speakers

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Brief overview

Wounded pride and rival ambition drove Burr to kill Hamilton in their 1804 duel.

  1. Honour culture made the duel almost unavoidableHamilton opposed duelling on religious and moral grounds but thought public opinion would require it of him.
  2. Most affairs of honour never reached a shotHamilton had been in at least six affairs of honour before and none had come to the point of pulling the trigger.
  3. What happened on the ledge is still contestedPendleton says Hamilton's gun went off accidentally; Van Ness says Hamilton fired first, and Chernow and Ellis disagree about whether Burr meant to kill.
Executive Summary AI
  • The episode opens with Hamilton's farewell letter to his wife Eliza, written exactly a week before his fatal duel with Aaron Burr on the 11th of July 1804.4:00
  • Hamilton, probably born in 1755 on Nevis, rose through talent and Washington's patronage to be the first Treasury Secretary in autumn 1789, leading the Federalists against Jefferson's Democratic Republicans.9:42
  • The personal feud began in 1791 when Burr beat Hamilton's father-in-law Philip Schuyler for the New York Senate seat, and hardened when Hamilton's campaigning helped the House choose Jefferson over Burr after 36 ballots in the 73-73 electoral tie.20:38
  • After Burr's humiliating loss in the 1804 New York governor's race, the Albany Register letter of Dr Charles D. Cooper reporting a "despicable" opinion gave him the pretext to demand an apology Hamilton refused.27:59
  • At Weehawken two shots were fired seconds apart, Burr's ball struck Hamilton above the right hip and lodged in his spine, and he died at two o'clock the following afternoon, the 12th of July, leaving Eliza, seven children and about $50,000 of debt.56:04
Key Quote
“If Hamilton is Marmite, Burr is very much Bovril.”
— Dominic21:03
Key Quote
“So he is the Andy Burnham of post-revolutionary America.”
— Tom24:27
Key Quote
“Yeah, he guns him down like a dog.”
— Tom1:02:08