Today In History, 1804: Alexander Hamilton Vs. Aaron Burr duel: Ok, so everyone I'm sure has heard of this event. But what exactly, and why exactly did it happen? Let's find out. . .

Let's start off with Philip Schuyler, father-in-law to Alexander Hamilton, and one of our original Senators. In the next election Aaron Burr defeated Schuyler to take his Senate seat, in some heated debates. So some animosity already existed here . . .

Few years later the electoral college can't decide between Jefferson and Burr for president. They were tied (normal citizens didn't vote yet). The tiebreak went to the Secretary of the Treasury - Alexander Hamilton. Now, Hamilton did not like Jefferson, but he hated Burr. .

So Burr lost the presidency because of Hamilton. However, Burr became VP under Jefferson. Hamilton and Burr begin to trade insults at each other for years. Hamilton prints some pretty nasty jabs at Burr in Washington papers, and so Burr, the VP, challenges Hamilton to a duel. . .

On July 11 the two met in Weehawken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson river from New York City. As the story goes Hamilton fired first, missing Burr's head. Burr then returned fire, hitting Hamilton in the abdomen. Hamilton would die the next day. . .

Burr was charged with murder, as dueling was illegal. Eventually the charges were dropped, but Burr's political career is over. . . I recently wrote about another Burr scandal with General James Wilkinson, which I'll attach below. Burr was an interesting fellow, to say the least

Here's a link to my other Aaron Burr lesson. This one with his attempt to create a Nation of his own, using the US military. Huge scandal. . Read https://twitter.com/1776Stonewall/status/1271824290518904834

did you know: Alexander Hamilton's son, Philip, died in a duel at the same exact spot 3 years earlier in a duel with George Eacker, a New York lawyer? . The spot was known as the Weehawken dueling grounds