American Legends: The Life of Aaron Burr

Includes pictures of Burr and important people and places. Comprehensively covers the Burr-Hamilton duel, including accounts of the duel and the mysteries and debates still surrounding the duel.Explains Burr's involvement in the Election of 1800 and the alleged treasonous conspiracy. Includes a Table of Contents. "The rule of my life is to make business a pleasure and pleasure my business." - Aaron BurrA lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In all the annals of American history, it is hard if not impossible to find a figure with a more controversial legacy than Aaron Burr, one of the most reviled yet mysterious characters of the last 200 years. Today Burr is remembered almost solely for participating in the nation's most famous duel on July 11, 1804, which resulted in the death of instrumental Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, but it is often forgotten that Burr killed Hamilton while he was Thomas Jefferson's sitting Vice President. As if that wasn't incredible enough, Burr's path to the Vice Presidency sparked a Constitutional crisis after the Election of 1800, and in addition to leading to the establishment of the 12th Amendment, it was Hamilton's support of his principal political foe Jefferson over Burr that helped ignite the arguments that culminated with their duel. Burr was charged with murder for participating in the controversial and illegal duel, bringing his political career to an end, but he saved his most controversial act for last. After leaving politics, Burr headed west, where he engaged in a mysterious and convoluted scheme that eventually led to charges of treason for conspiring to create a new Western empire. Like the murder charges, he was never convicted of treason for the controversial and confusing conspiracy, but Burr had burned nearly every bridge by then. Having incurred massive debt, Burr took to practicing law and staying out of the public eye for the rest of his life. American Legends: The Life of Aaron Burr chronicles the controversial life and legacy of the nation's 3rd Vice President, but it also humanizes him and looks at contemporary accounts that paint Burr in a more positive light as well. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Aaron Burr like you never have before, in no time at all.