Source: Richard Brookhiser. Alexander Hamilton, American (1999)
If Alexander Hamilton was a Jedi Knight, he almost certainly would have opposed those that used the "Dark Side of the Force", which in his opinion included Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and to top it off, mankind in general. Hamilton was spared the passions of greed and rage, but he thought he saw it in others. Almost all of the Founding Fathers "poo-pooed" ambition (well, not Aaron Burr), believing that if they showed the ambition that they felt in every fiber of their being, it would be construed as a threat to the nation. Therefore, all of them felt it was their duty to "check" ambition in others. Hamilton, as well as the other Founding Fathers, feared "Caesarism", which was defined as unchecked ambition; in other words, ambition was equated with danger. Hamilton saw one person that not only seemed to be the most ambitious, but in addition had all of the worst combination of passions possible: Aaron Burr, of whom Hamilton labeled an "Embryo-Caesar." Complicating the landscape for Hamilton, et. al., was their passion of protecting their honor at virtually any cost; it was the era of the "Honor Culture."
Hamilton's last major service for President Washington was drafting/proofing his Farewell Address (pictured: The Farewell Address Wordle). Hamilton expanded on Madison's 1792 draft for Washington, and it was printed in newspapers on 19 September, 1796; in a way, the Farewell Address was the last collaboration between Hamilton and Madison (Washington made dozens of changes in Hamilton's draft, making the Address sound even more like him). Ironically, Hamilton, the Founding Father that wrote and spoke more than any other (with the possible exception of Franklin), did not write or talk about his service to Washington . . . it was one of the few things that Hamilton didn't talk about when there was at least one other person in his presence.
Once it was confirmed that there would be a new President, passionate behind-the-scenes politicking occurred at the state level, which as a result of the Election of 1796, meant that the Federalist John Adams was President, and the Republican Thomas Jefferson was Vice-President. In so many ways, President John Adams was limited in what he could accomplish; among the reasons was his Cabinet. For obvious political reasons, Adams retained all of Washington's Cabinet, but that group was mediocre at best, and they were far more loyal to Hamilton than to the President. In Hamilton's mind, this was more-than-fine, in that he was able to "check" a fellow Federalist that had stated, years earlier, that certain aspects of monarchy may be desirable in America (Hamilton had campaigned hard in the Election of 1796 for Thomas Pinckney over John Adams, and it nearly cost Adams the Presidency).
Once it was confirmed that there would be a new President, passionate behind-the-scenes politicking occurred at the state level, which as a result of the Election of 1796, meant that the Federalist John Adams was President, and the Republican Thomas Jefferson was Vice-President. In so many ways, President John Adams was limited in what he could accomplish; among the reasons was his Cabinet. For obvious political reasons, Adams retained all of Washington's Cabinet, but that group was mediocre at best, and they were far more loyal to Hamilton than to the President. In Hamilton's mind, this was more-than-fine, in that he was able to "check" a fellow Federalist that had stated, years earlier, that certain aspects of monarchy may be desirable in America (Hamilton had campaigned hard in the Election of 1796 for Thomas Pinckney over John Adams, and it nearly cost Adams the Presidency).
During the Summer of 1797, newspaper publisher James Callendar (loyal to Jefferson), brought the "Reynolds Affair" back to public attention and scrutiny. Hamilton now had to publicly defend himself in order to remain politically relevant (he had privately done so with members of Congress a few years earlier), and stated that while he did indeed cheat on his wife, he didn't use any money from the Treasury to pay off his blackmailers. Hamilton believed that corruption was far more heinous than adultery, and that was the card he played. One of the ironic results of the resurrection of the "Reynolds Affair" was that James Monroe (one of the people to which Hamilton privately confessed) was so bent-out-of-shape by Hamilton's defense that he wanted to challenge Hamilton to a duel . . . but Aaron Burr calmed Monroe down, and the duel never occurred.
In 1798, President John Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts; the Federalists felt more-than-justified in passing these restrictions due to the Whiskey Rebellion and the Genet Affair (basically, this was a brazen attempt by the Federalist Party to destroy Jefferson's and Madison's Republican Party). Due to recent tensions with France ("XYZ Affair") and the perceived internal threats, Washington was called to command an expanded U.S. Army (his commission took effect on 4 July, 1798). General Washington refused to leave Mount Vernon unless the U.S. was attacked, so the Second-in-Command would be the actual commanding officer, and there was quite the "Depth Chart" for that rank. Vying for that title/rank, among others, were Henry Knox, Charles Pinckney, and Alexander Hamilton. President Adams wanted to remove Hamilton from any consideration for that rank (revenge for 1796?), but for political reasons, had to keep him in play. Hamilton held some kind of rank in the Army for almost two years, and since there was no fighting, he became obsessed with the "little stuff" (e.g. marching formations, buttons on uniforms, etc.). After Washington's death in 1799, and the de-escalation of tensions with France, Congress downsized the Army in June, 1800; Hamilton was the officer that took care of the necessary details to carry out that Act of Congress.
(Below: A segment from the "John Adams" miniseries - President Adams and "2nd-in-Command" Hamilton")
In 1798, President John Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts; the Federalists felt more-than-justified in passing these restrictions due to the Whiskey Rebellion and the Genet Affair (basically, this was a brazen attempt by the Federalist Party to destroy Jefferson's and Madison's Republican Party). Due to recent tensions with France ("XYZ Affair") and the perceived internal threats, Washington was called to command an expanded U.S. Army (his commission took effect on 4 July, 1798). General Washington refused to leave Mount Vernon unless the U.S. was attacked, so the Second-in-Command would be the actual commanding officer, and there was quite the "Depth Chart" for that rank. Vying for that title/rank, among others, were Henry Knox, Charles Pinckney, and Alexander Hamilton. President Adams wanted to remove Hamilton from any consideration for that rank (revenge for 1796?), but for political reasons, had to keep him in play. Hamilton held some kind of rank in the Army for almost two years, and since there was no fighting, he became obsessed with the "little stuff" (e.g. marching formations, buttons on uniforms, etc.). After Washington's death in 1799, and the de-escalation of tensions with France, Congress downsized the Army in June, 1800; Hamilton was the officer that took care of the necessary details to carry out that Act of Congress.
(Below: A segment from the "John Adams" miniseries - President Adams and "2nd-in-Command" Hamilton")
In the months leading up to the Election of 1800, the Federalists were divided over President Adams' second peace mission to France. Hamilton wrote and circulated a pamphlet to SELECT Federalists, which called on them to unite in order to keep Thomas Jefferson from being elected President. Aaron Burr, a Republican, got a copy of the pamphlet, and circulated it EVERYWHERE. Burr also outmaneuvered Hamilton in the New York state legislature when it came to the state's Electoral Vote in 1800. The twelve Electoral Votes that went to Adams in 1796 now were in Thomas Jefferson's pocket (and Burr's as well, since he was TJ's VP candidate).
After all the Electoral Votes were counted, Jefferson and Burr were deadlocked at 73 votes each (the voter that had the honor of sending his Vice-Presidential Electoral Vote to someone other than Burr apparently forgot to do so). For the first time, the House of Representatives had to elect the President (each state's delegation votes, and each state counts as one total vote), and after the first ballot, Jefferson and Burr each had eight states.
Aaron Burr's main problem was that he was a Narcissist (exceptional interest in or admiration of oneself); he was able to talk a good game, but following through was problematic . . . he was all interaction, with nothing at his core, and it would cost him dearly, starting at this point. General Washington was among the first to figure out that Burr was a Narcissist (Burr only lasted ten days as an aide to Washington), and Hamilton viewed Burr in much the same way. Hamilton took it further than Washington, however, in that he didn't want Burr to hold any major elected office at all. Hamilton not only viewed Burr as a Narcissist, but also as someone that could be a serious threat to the future of the U.S., and he wrote numerous letters to Delaware's only Representative, James Bayard, imploring him to change his vote from Burr to Jefferson. On the 36th ballot, James Bayard abstained, and Thomas Jefferson became the 3rd President (8 states to 7 for Burr); little did Burr realize that he had already reached the pinnacle of his political career.
After all the Electoral Votes were counted, Jefferson and Burr were deadlocked at 73 votes each (the voter that had the honor of sending his Vice-Presidential Electoral Vote to someone other than Burr apparently forgot to do so). For the first time, the House of Representatives had to elect the President (each state's delegation votes, and each state counts as one total vote), and after the first ballot, Jefferson and Burr each had eight states.
Aaron Burr's main problem was that he was a Narcissist (exceptional interest in or admiration of oneself); he was able to talk a good game, but following through was problematic . . . he was all interaction, with nothing at his core, and it would cost him dearly, starting at this point. General Washington was among the first to figure out that Burr was a Narcissist (Burr only lasted ten days as an aide to Washington), and Hamilton viewed Burr in much the same way. Hamilton took it further than Washington, however, in that he didn't want Burr to hold any major elected office at all. Hamilton not only viewed Burr as a Narcissist, but also as someone that could be a serious threat to the future of the U.S., and he wrote numerous letters to Delaware's only Representative, James Bayard, imploring him to change his vote from Burr to Jefferson. On the 36th ballot, James Bayard abstained, and Thomas Jefferson became the 3rd President (8 states to 7 for Burr); little did Burr realize that he had already reached the pinnacle of his political career.
To Hamilton, his arguments were the essence of his being; this was so much a part of him that he believed that failure to persuade threatened his existence. Among the topics in which he endeavored to persuade others was bullying, especially mobs (and those that organized and instigated mobs). He also equated other behavior with bullying, including intriguing, lying, and even silence; this behavior was among the reasons why there was a huge rift between Hamilton and Jefferson, and Hamilton and Burr.
According to Brookhiser (pictured), there are three modes of leadership: The highest is "Inspiration", which is also the most rare. Next is "Demonstration", which is sharing your reasons with everyone, and model appropriately. Last is "Flattery", which is all talk with little-or-no action; this type can lead to situations where the leader fools the followers, or worse yet, the leader and the followers are both fooled. "Flattery" usually occurs when the leader(s) and followers can't think of anything else to do (e.g. lack of vision). Hamilton rarely reached "Inspiration", and he refused to resort to "Flattery" - Hamilton was a "Demonstrator." Jefferson inhabited all three, but mostly he exhibited "Inspiration" (Declaration of Independence) and "Flattery", which further fueled the rift between Hamilton and Jefferson. Aaron Burr spent virtually his entire political life in "Flattery", which also explains much as to why Hamilton viewed Burr as a "dangerous man."
According to Brookhiser (pictured), there are three modes of leadership: The highest is "Inspiration", which is also the most rare. Next is "Demonstration", which is sharing your reasons with everyone, and model appropriately. Last is "Flattery", which is all talk with little-or-no action; this type can lead to situations where the leader fools the followers, or worse yet, the leader and the followers are both fooled. "Flattery" usually occurs when the leader(s) and followers can't think of anything else to do (e.g. lack of vision). Hamilton rarely reached "Inspiration", and he refused to resort to "Flattery" - Hamilton was a "Demonstrator." Jefferson inhabited all three, but mostly he exhibited "Inspiration" (Declaration of Independence) and "Flattery", which further fueled the rift between Hamilton and Jefferson. Aaron Burr spent virtually his entire political life in "Flattery", which also explains much as to why Hamilton viewed Burr as a "dangerous man."
America in the late-1700s / early-1800s was a rights-based society (much like the U.S. from 1946 - 1965), but Hamilton did not share his fellow citizens' confidence with the Bill of Rights. Hamilton placed far more value and reliance on British Common Law and Natural Law; in other words, Precedent and Theory meant more to Hamilton (remember, he was a very successful lawyer in New York City) than the specific liberties listed in the Bill of Rights.
Specific applications for Hamilton's beliefs concentrated on contracts. Contracts were related to debt, which helped explain his plan as SecTreas to repay the massive Revolutionary War debts incurred by the government. According to Hamilton, special privileges were the hallmark of despots and slave-owners, while contracts were the handiwork of free men. In yet another reason for the chasm between Hamilton and others was that in a way, Jefferson, Madison, and Burr were "Born on 3rd Base", with a very short trip to "Home Plate". Hamilton, on the other hand, had to work his way around all the bases, and the key to his success was the contract.
Hamilton did not have a violent temper; his pride and stubbornness far exceeded any rage in his machine. What Hamilton had plenty of was ARDOR (enthusiasm, passion); he loved his ideas, his work, and family and friends. Like most of the other Founders, Hamilton also had the passion of lust, but he was the only Founding Father to freely admit his lust (to this day, Hamilton's admission of adultery remains the most frank among politicians). It must have galled Hamilton to no end that Jefferson denied any involvement with Sally Hemings, or Burr's continuous attendance at whorehouses, yet the media focused on Hamilton and Maria Reynolds, due to his candor.
Specific applications for Hamilton's beliefs concentrated on contracts. Contracts were related to debt, which helped explain his plan as SecTreas to repay the massive Revolutionary War debts incurred by the government. According to Hamilton, special privileges were the hallmark of despots and slave-owners, while contracts were the handiwork of free men. In yet another reason for the chasm between Hamilton and others was that in a way, Jefferson, Madison, and Burr were "Born on 3rd Base", with a very short trip to "Home Plate". Hamilton, on the other hand, had to work his way around all the bases, and the key to his success was the contract.
Hamilton did not have a violent temper; his pride and stubbornness far exceeded any rage in his machine. What Hamilton had plenty of was ARDOR (enthusiasm, passion); he loved his ideas, his work, and family and friends. Like most of the other Founders, Hamilton also had the passion of lust, but he was the only Founding Father to freely admit his lust (to this day, Hamilton's admission of adultery remains the most frank among politicians). It must have galled Hamilton to no end that Jefferson denied any involvement with Sally Hemings, or Burr's continuous attendance at whorehouses, yet the media focused on Hamilton and Maria Reynolds, due to his candor.
In November, 1801, nineteen year-old Philip Hamilton died in a duel after being given advice by his father. Hamilton's advice: let your opponent fire first, then fire in the air, and by doing so, the affair of honor is over (it was actually a violation of the Irish Code Duello). Hamilton was consumed with depression and guilt; Hamilton's father was a deadbeat who abandoned his family, but he never gave lethal advice to his son.
Aaron Burr was struggling as well in late-1801; his (calculated?) indecision in the House phase of the Election of 1800 had cost him his political future; President Jefferson made sure that in the Republican Party, Vice-President Burr was persona non grata. Yet Burr was still seething with ambition, and he started to focus his political energies in New York state-level politics in an effort to re-start his career.
Hamilton's ambition had been ebbing away since he lost his high rank with the dissolution of most of the U.S. Army in the Summer of 1800, and the death of his son Philip in 1801, but he still distrusted Burr, and he basically made it his business to block Burr's efforts in their home state of New York. In 1804, Burr was a FEDERALIST candidate in the New York gubernatorial election; he used his many connections among prominent Federalist families to gain his spot on the ballot. However, Burr was soundly defeated, in part due to being associated with New England Federalists that wanted to secede from the Union, but also due to the tireless efforts of Hamilton's anti-Burr letter-writing campaign. Burr (remember, he was a Narcissist) in no way saw his situation as his fault, and President Jefferson was untouchable, so Burr started to focus on Hamilton as the reason for his political failure. The only one that was open about opposing Burr in the election was Hamilton, and dueling was considered an acceptable political weapon by many to restore one's reputation. Actually, in the "Honor Culture", it was very common for a losing candidate to challenge the winner to a duel; it was the only way to publicly save face and be "electable" in the future. However, almost all of those challenges were resolved long before they reached the stage of firing pistols on the "Field of Honor"; such was not the case with Burr and Hamilton . . .
Aaron Burr was struggling as well in late-1801; his (calculated?) indecision in the House phase of the Election of 1800 had cost him his political future; President Jefferson made sure that in the Republican Party, Vice-President Burr was persona non grata. Yet Burr was still seething with ambition, and he started to focus his political energies in New York state-level politics in an effort to re-start his career.
Hamilton's ambition had been ebbing away since he lost his high rank with the dissolution of most of the U.S. Army in the Summer of 1800, and the death of his son Philip in 1801, but he still distrusted Burr, and he basically made it his business to block Burr's efforts in their home state of New York. In 1804, Burr was a FEDERALIST candidate in the New York gubernatorial election; he used his many connections among prominent Federalist families to gain his spot on the ballot. However, Burr was soundly defeated, in part due to being associated with New England Federalists that wanted to secede from the Union, but also due to the tireless efforts of Hamilton's anti-Burr letter-writing campaign. Burr (remember, he was a Narcissist) in no way saw his situation as his fault, and President Jefferson was untouchable, so Burr started to focus on Hamilton as the reason for his political failure. The only one that was open about opposing Burr in the election was Hamilton, and dueling was considered an acceptable political weapon by many to restore one's reputation. Actually, in the "Honor Culture", it was very common for a losing candidate to challenge the winner to a duel; it was the only way to publicly save face and be "electable" in the future. However, almost all of those challenges were resolved long before they reached the stage of firing pistols on the "Field of Honor"; such was not the case with Burr and Hamilton . . .
The question has been debated by historians for over two centuries: why did Hamilton go through with the duel when he hated the practice? Did Hamilton have a desire to be politically useful and relevant again; Brookhiser argued no, that his life had become somber - he was like a sinking fox pressed by a desperate old hound. It was more likely that Hamilton, due to extreme guilt and depression, had decided to pursue the same advice that he gave his son Philip, for better or for worse. And, if he could derail Burr's attempt at political resurrection, that would have certainly been an added bonus in his point of view.
On 11 July, 1804, at Weehawken, New Jersey (the same site where Philip was killed), Vice-President Aaron Burr faced former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in the most famous duel in American History. We'll never know the true circumstances and sequence of the duel, but it's almost certain that both men fired at the same time. Hamilton's shot went high, clipping a cedar branch, while Burr's shot was mortal, hitting Hamilton in his abdomen.
Assuming that this duel was with light sabres instead of pistols, it could have been possible that Hamilton saw Philip off to the side, and decided to let Burr shoot him; maybe by his death he could thwart Vader's, I mean Burr's, efforts at political ascendancy. In the "Reynolds Affair", Hamilton chose to save his public life at the expense of his personal life, not once, but twice. In his duel with Burr, it's possible that Hamilton chose to risk his life in order to protect the nation from Burr. I would argue that if he had not been so depressed and consumed with guilt over the advice that he gave Philip almost three years before, he almost certainly would have figured out that one of his enemies, President Jefferson, had his Arch-Enemy, the Narcissist Burr, well-contained, and he was no real threat to anyone at all but himself.
On 11 July, 1804, at Weehawken, New Jersey (the same site where Philip was killed), Vice-President Aaron Burr faced former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in the most famous duel in American History. We'll never know the true circumstances and sequence of the duel, but it's almost certain that both men fired at the same time. Hamilton's shot went high, clipping a cedar branch, while Burr's shot was mortal, hitting Hamilton in his abdomen.
Assuming that this duel was with light sabres instead of pistols, it could have been possible that Hamilton saw Philip off to the side, and decided to let Burr shoot him; maybe by his death he could thwart Vader's, I mean Burr's, efforts at political ascendancy. In the "Reynolds Affair", Hamilton chose to save his public life at the expense of his personal life, not once, but twice. In his duel with Burr, it's possible that Hamilton chose to risk his life in order to protect the nation from Burr. I would argue that if he had not been so depressed and consumed with guilt over the advice that he gave Philip almost three years before, he almost certainly would have figured out that one of his enemies, President Jefferson, had his Arch-Enemy, the Narcissist Burr, well-contained, and he was no real threat to anyone at all but himself.
(Below: A segment from "The Duel", from the flagship PBS documentary series "The American Experience";
it's one of the best documentaries I've ever seen about the Burr-Hamilton Duel)
it's one of the best documentaries I've ever seen about the Burr-Hamilton Duel)
The Duel from Mitch Wilson on Vimeo.