Aaron Burr's Political Career

Aaron Burr was a vital person in the history of our nation. He had a brilliant mind and was very important in the Revolutionary War as well as an interesting career in law and politics. Burr was one of the most infamous politicians in United States history that had a huge impact on our nation, but also made major mistakes that ultimately ended his political career. Aaron Burr’s life had a rough beginning when he was a child. He was born in a place called Newark, New Jersey. “His mother, Esther Edwards Burr, was the daughter of the theologian Jonathan Edwards, whose preaching helped precipitate the religious movement known as the Great Awakening” (“The Duel”). Aaron Burr’s father was also the president of the College of New Jersey, which …show more content…
He decided to apply for the College of New Jersey when he was only eleven years old, but his application was turned down. He applied again two years later and was accepted as a sophomore his first year. He graduated from Princeton College at the age of seventeen (“The Duel”). “A brilliant law student, Burr interrupted his study to serve in the American Revolution and proved himself a valiant soldier in early campaigns” (“Aaron Burr”). Aaron Burr was 19 when the Revolutionary War began. Because Burr was denied a commission when he asked George Washington’s permission for one, he decided to join a march to attack British strongholds located in Canada. The strongholds were led by Benedict Arnold (“The Duel”). Even though the continental force was badly defeated, Aaron Burr was an excellent soldier during the attack on Quebec that Montgomery made on December 31, 1775. He served for a fairly short amount of time on George Washington’s staff in the year of 1776. In 1777, he took order of a regiment as a lieutenant colonel that was vital during the Battle of Monmouth. Later in the war, he defended against cavalry forays as well as British guerrilla raids. “The job proved extremely difficult, and Burr preserved as long as he could” (“The …show more content…
Since the electoral votes were a tie, it was up to the congress to decide who would be the next president. Alexander Hamilton voted for Thomas Jefferson because of his dislike for Aaron Burr. After he was defeated, he set up the Democratic-Republican party using the Tammany Society for political reasons. They eventually gained control of the state legislature. Because of this, it was made sure that there would be a Republican president. This led Aaron Burr to be the vice president of the United States since he lost to Thomas Jefferson. Burr’s friends wanted him to be the governor of New York City, but Alexander yet again stopped that from occurring when he publicly released negative opinions on him and his character. Furious from these comments, Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel that just might be the end of Hamilton’s life (“Aaron Burr”). The duel between Hamilton and Burr occurred in New Jersey. Although Hamilton died during the duel, southerners viewed the situation as Burr doing the right thing while northerners were extremely upset about the death for the most part. “While Burr was never tried for the illegal duel, Hamilton’s controversial death ended Burr’s political career” (Kirkpatrick 8). Burr decided to flee west for his own benefit (Wood