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George Washington
Aaron Burr was a politician from New Jersey who served as Thomas Jefferson’s vice president for one term. He had an antagonistic relationship with Alexander Hamilton, whom he blamed for his loss in the New York gubernatorial election. The friction between the two men escalated to the point that Burr invited Hamilton to a fatal duel in which Hamilton was killed. It is believed that Burr did not want to kill Hamilton (and perhaps didn’t even intend to harm him), although there is no certainty over exactly what took place during the duel. Hamilton’s death stained Burr’s reputation and political career, and he spent the rest of his life away from the spotlight.
Aaron Burr Quotes in Founding Brothers
The Founding Brothers quotes below are all either spoken by Aaron Burr or refer to Aaron Burr. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
Strictly speaking, Hamilton’s concession should have been the end of it. Affairs of honor were supposed to involve only personal charges. Political or ideological disagreements, no matter how deep, lay outside the field of honor on which a gentleman could demand satisfaction. Hamilton’s distinction between personal and political criticism was designed to change the dispute with Burr from an affair of honor to a political difference of opinion.
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The hyperbolic tone of Hamilton’s anti-Burr comments derived not so much from intense personal dislike per se as from his intense fear that the precarious condition of the infant nation rendered it so vulnerable to Burr’s considerable talents. Burr embodied Hamilton’s daring and energy run amok in a political culture still groping for its stable shape.
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Aaron Burr Quotes in Founding Brothers
The Founding Brothers quotes below are all either spoken by Aaron Burr or refer to Aaron Burr. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
Strictly speaking, Hamilton’s concession should have been the end of it. Affairs of honor were supposed to involve only personal charges. Political or ideological disagreements, no matter how deep, lay outside the field of honor on which a gentleman could demand satisfaction. Hamilton’s distinction between personal and political criticism was designed to change the dispute with Burr from an affair of honor to a political difference of opinion.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The hyperbolic tone of Hamilton’s anti-Burr comments derived not so much from intense personal dislike per se as from his intense fear that the precarious condition of the infant nation rendered it so vulnerable to Burr’s considerable talents. Burr embodied Hamilton’s daring and energy run amok in a political culture still groping for its stable shape.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
