I dreaded this project if I am being honest. I tried my best to wait until the last minute to start working on it. This is not because I did not care about this assignment but because I am not artistic at all. At first, I started brainstorming a theme to base my project on. I decided to tackle the ever-worsening problem of student debt. I am very passionate about this topic, especially because I suffer from it as well. I also liked this topic because it will resonate with my classmates.

My next step was to find the appropriate media to use for this topic. With limited artistic abilities, I decided to focus on lyrics. I chose to change the lyrics for “My Shot”. I chose this song because of the defiance feel to it. In this song, Hamilton lays out his ambition and goals. He believes in himself and will do his best to forge his destiny. I was able to relate to this song because I am also ambitious in my education. Like Hamilton, my path has been filled with challenges. However, they will not stop me from achieving my goals and aspirations. I wanted to express a college student’s experience while maintaining the lyrical and rhyming flow of the song. The lyrics talk about how students have worked hard to earn their spots in competitive colleges only to be scared off with outrageous tuition fees. It is not uncommon for students to accumulate six figures of debt. The feedback I received from my peer was very helpful. He really liked the premise behind the project but thought my lyrics needed to flow better. To fix that, I spent several hours stringing different words together to create a nice flow to the song. Towards the end of my project, I was actually enjoying the process and was not fearful of my artistic abilities anymore.

 

Burr to Hamilton, June 18, 1804

N York 18 June 1804

Sir,

I send for your perusal a letter signed Ch. D. Cooper which, though apparently published some time ago, has but very recently come to my knowledge^[1]. Mr. Van Ness, who does me the favor to deliver this, will point out to you that clause of the letter to which I particularly request your attention^[2].

You must perceive, Sir, the necessity of a prompt and unqualified acknowledgement or denial of the use of any expressions which could warrant the assertions of Dr. Cooper^[3].

I have the honor to be
Your Obdt. S^t

A. Burr^[4]

Hamilton to Burr, June 20, 1804

N York 20 June 1804

Sir:

I have maturely reflected on the subject of your letter of the 18th Instant, and the more I have reflected, the more I have become convinced that I could not without manifest impropriety make the avowal or disavowal which you seem to think necessary^[5].

The clause pointed out by Mr. Van Ness is in these terms: “I could detail to you a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr.”^[6] To endeavor to discover the meaning of this declaration, I was obliged to seek in the antecedent part of the letter for the opinion to which it referred, as having been already disclosed^[7]. I found it in these words: “Genl. Hamilton and Judge Kent have declared in substance that they looked upon Mr. Burr to be a dangerous man, and one who ought not to be trusted with the reins of Government.”^[8] The language of Dr. Cooper plainly implies that he considered this opinion of you, which he attributes to me, as a despicable one; but he affirms that I have expressed some other still more despicable; without, however, mentioning to whom, when or where^[9]. ‘Tis evident that the phrase “still more despicable” admits of infinite shades from very light to very dark. How am I to judge of the degree intended.^[10] Or how should I annex any precise idea to language so vague?^[11]

Between Gentlemen despicable and still more despicable are not worth the pains of a distinction ^[12]. When, therefore, you do not interrogate me as to the opinion which is specifically ascribed to me, I must conclude that you view it as within the limits to which the animadversions of political opponents, upon each other, may justifiably extend; and consequently as not warranting the idea of it which Dr. Cooper appears to entertain ^[13]. If so, what precise inference could you draw as a guide for your future conduct, were I to acknowledge that I had expressed an opinion of you, still more despicable than the one which is particularized^[14]? How could you be sure that even this opinion had exceeded the bounds which you would yourself deem admissible between political opponents^[15]?

But I forbear further comment on the embarrassment to which the requisition you have made naturally leads^[16]. The occasion forbids a more ample illustration, though nothing would be more easy than to pursue it^[17].

Repeating that I can not reconcile it with propriety to make the acknowledgment or denial you desire, I will add that I deem it inadmissible on principle, to consent to be interrogated as to the justness of the inferences which may be drawn by others, from whatever I may have said of a political opponent in the course of a fifteen years competition ^[18]. If there were no other objection to it, this is sufficient, that it would tend to expose my sincerity and delicacy to injurious imputations from every person who may at any time have conceived that import of my expressions differently from what I may then have intended, or may afterwards recollect^[19].

I stand ready to avow or disavow promptly and explicitly any precise or definite opinion which I may be charged with having declared to any gentleman^[20]. More than this can not fitly be expected from me; and especially it can not reasonably be expected that I shall enter into an explanation upon a basis so vague as that which you have adopted^[21]. I trust upon more reflection you will see the matter in the same light with me^[22]. If not, I can only regret the circumstances and must abide the consequences^[23].

The publication of Dr. Cooper was never seen by me ‘till after the receipt of your letter^[24].

Sir, I have the honor to be
Your Obdt. S^t

A. Hamilton

1. The first letter of the correspondence is brief and sets the tone for the rest of the letters. Burr references a letter that was bought to his attention by his colleague. The letter was published in the Albany Register by Charles D. Cooper. In the letter, the Cooper directly attacked Burr and quoted Hamilton describing Burr “to be a dangerous man, and one who ought not be trusted with the reins of government”.

2. Burr employs ethos and grants a credible source, his friend Van Ness as the narrator of the tale. He does this in order to prevent Hamilton from passing his accusations off as rumors or small talk. Burr was running in the New York gubernatorial race at the time and Hamilton publicly opposed his campaign. The sentence that particularly bothered Burr in the letter was that Mr. Cooper “could detail . . . a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr.”

3. Burr demands confirmation of Dr. Cooper’s statement. He requests clarification because his honor is hurt due to the accusation. Burr considers his honor to be in jeopardy because of said letter, so he demands a black and white answer in order to secure his ego. Honor is a big part of politics in this age, and Hamilton speaking ill of Burr hinders his honor and shows a lack of respect for Burr’s work. This is also why Burr signs off the letter with “I have your honor to be”.

4. Hamilton and Burr both sign off each letter as your “Obdt. S”, which means “obedient servant”. This greeting was commonly used during this time period and serves to give an ironic flare to the tone of the letters, which are hostile in nature. This is also referenced in the song, “Obedient Servant” in the play.

5. In this letter, Hamilton neither confirms nor denies the accusations Burr has placed upon him. Instead, he belittles Burr and amuses himself with circular talk. Instead of openly agreeing to speaking ill of Burr, Hamilton states that he cannot respond to this accusation without “manifest impropriety”. His hatred for Burr stems politically, but it also seems to be personal in this exchange of letters. Although this rivalry started with Burr defeating Hamilton’s father in law in the race for senate in 1791 and continued to deepen with more political turmoil, the taunting tone of these letters hints at personal turbulence between the two.

6. Here, Hamilton uses Burr’s own tactics of drawing upon his source to further highlight his own point. He quotes exactly what Cooper says as if to portray that he himself is not hiding any secrets. In fact, he recalls exactly the sentence that started this dispute as part of his retaliation.

7. Hamilton’s tone here is sarcastic and defensive. His “endeavor” to get to the bottom of the statements made by Cooper in the letter is half hearted, and he acts as though recalling this issue which is important to Burr is a meaningless hassle for himself. Hamilton acts as if he does not remember the statements he made in order to belittle Burr.

8. Hamilton directly quotes the letter again to remind Burr what was said about him. Hamilton is adding fuel to the fire here and it is very apparent that he has no intentions of solving this conflict. I can only imagine how fired up Burr would have been reading his part of the article. Hamilton was not afraid of making people know his opinion, and certainly wanted Burr to know what he thought about him.

9. Hamilton fights Burr in this sentence by using pathos, or feelings. He turned the accusation around and tried to shift the blame from himself to Dr. Cooper. In his next sentence, he explains that whatever Burr heard that was paraphrased by Dr. Cooper is just a reflection of how Dr. Cooper feels, not how Hamilton feels because the word “despicable” has an ambiguous nature and Dr. Cooper decided to use it to describe Burr. I can only imagine how angry Burr would feel while reading this sentence because it just accuses Burr’s character more to assume that Dr. Cooper feels this way about him.

10. Here, Hamilton distracts Burr from the issue at hand with talk of grammar. He takes the role of a teacher and drills the possibility of the various meanings of the word “despicable” into Burr’s head. This task is unnecessary and exists to belittle Burr. This sentence also functions to Hamilton’s subconscious desire to avoid duel. He changes the subject and dwells on a tangent instead of facing the consequence of his action- this confrontation.

11. Hamilton states here that has a very specific opinion about Burr that he clearly communicated with Cooper; however, he is stating that he cannot articulate that opinion based on the word “despicable”. He says this word does not accurately convey this very precise opinion. He does not tell Burr exactly what this opinion is, and instead employs vague language to criticize the use of vague language.

12. It is interesting here that Hamilton employs the term “between gentlemen” to a man who has been his political enemy for 15 years. This sentence is a comical jab at Burr. He basically is telling Burr that he called himself despicable, and asking him what really is the difference between “despicable” and “still more despicable”. This arrogance did not sit well with Burr, who demanded a duel with the still reluctant Hamilton after just eight days of negotiations.

13. Hamilton says that the statements made about Burr are typical of what political opponents say of each other and should not warrant a justification. This is a change from the accusations in the rest of the letter, which attack Burr’s personal character. Now, Hamilton brings up politics to remind Burr that they are political opponents and that he has been planning on ruining Burr’s campaign. This stems from the fact that Hamilton considered Burr to be a threat to the Federalist party had he become New York’s governor in the gubernatorial election of 1804.

14. Hamilton is extremely rude here and belittling Burr. He is basically challenging him and asking what exactly he is going to do if Hamilton does indeed tell him the “still more despicable” opinion. He is also saying that the opinion already revealed in the letter was already despicable enough to warrant a reaction from Burr. Hamilton is clearly not afraid of Burr and is trying to draw a response from Burr here.

15. Here, Hamilton plays the accusation as negligible. He tells Burr that even he would probably deem this statement as fair amongst adversaries like themselves. Here, Hamilton seems to back off of Burr a bit. He does not want to duel, and the tone in this part of the letter becomes more of Hamilton’s consolation to Burr for his actions. His response to Burr’s letter is conflicted, as clearly seen in the juxtaposition of this sentence and the previous one. But, Burr needed to defend his honor against Hamilton after the lost election and the personal attacks Hamilton was casting, so Burr was ready and willing to duel.

16. Hamilton, after insulting Burr the entire letter, acts as though he is the bigger man by doing Burr the favor of halting his insults. This larger than life talk was ironic from Hamilton, who told his friends King and Peddleton that he does not want to fire at Burr the first time, but rather receive the blow himself. His friends were shocked and reluctant to let Hamilton fight, but he did so anyway.

17. Here, Hamilton tells Burr that if he wished, he could expand on this situation further. He says this endeavor is simple and that Hamilton could effortlessly explain the request to Burr. This further circular talk demonstrates Hamilton’s reluctance to duel. I can only imagine that this makes Burr want to duel even more. When Burr and Jefferson tied in the presidential election of 1800 and the House of Representatives had to pick the winner, Burr knew that Hamilton sided with Jefferson even though he hated both Burr and Jefferson. This was a stab to Burr’s honor as Hamilton picked Jefferson over him, and Jefferson won presidency while Burr was the vice president. This letter and Burr’s knowledge of Hamilton’s political sabotage led to Burr requesting a duel.

18. Here, Hamilton draws on their history. They have fifteen years of animosity and uncomfortable political relations. After Hamilton aided Burr’s competitor to win the presidency, he also ran against Burr himself in 1804. The two men were further pitted against one another when their competition lead to a third party, Morgan Lewis, winning the presidency. He does this in order to justify his actions. He is basically saying that whatever he said to Dr. Cooper should be forgiven because they have a history of hatred, so he should be excused from his mishap. He is saying that it is not fair that Burr ask him to confirm or deny the accusation, and that Hamilton will not to so because he does not deem it necessary to dismay Burr’s suspicions.

19. Here, Hamilton uses vague language, which he objects to in the previous part of this letter, to shift the blame away from himself once more. He is acting as if Burr is drawing these conclusions and coming to this scenario without reason. But given the fifteen years of political history between Burr and Hamilton in which they are enemies, this accusation is not without cause. Furthermore, Hamilton criticized Burr at this dinner party, which lead to the letters and then finally the duel when Hamilton refused to apologize.

20. Hamilton acts as if he is very honorable and that had this claim been specific, he would have agreed or disagreed with it and given Burr the satisfaction he asked for with this letter. He also told his friends that he would not fire the first shot during the duel, but some critics think Hamilton did not throw away his shot! Even though he did not fire directly at Burr, he did shoot the first shot, which meant Burr followed and shot Hamilton in the abdomen shortly after. This fake citizenship is interesting on Hamilton’s part, and it is unclear to me still why Hamilton was so weary of a duel that he himself instigated with the tone of this letter.

21. Hamilton is the Secretary of the Treasury of the united states but he acts clueless. He acts like an explanation cannot be expected of him because he doesn’t understand the limitations of the word disgusting. He does back to the beginning of his letter here and makes a full circle. He goes from teaching Burr, to reminding him of their uncomfortable political past, and then again to teaching him about the word and really delving into the specifics of the accusation instead of clearly responding to the letter. Hamilton is weary of fighting, but obviously adamant on not apologizing.

22. What light? This letter has been very ambiguous. Hamilton does not want to fight, but he was instigating with this letter and did not give a clear response to the claims in order to defend himself or come clean at his actions. He spun the accusations around in circles, beat around the bush a few times, and then arrived at no conclusion. He then asks Burr is he agrees with this conclusion. It is quite comical and exactly what i would expect from a politician.

23. I think this sentence- a form of pure innocence that makes Hamilton seem unaware of the savage nature of his letter, is what convinced Burr of a duel. This long letter does not answer the simple accusation. It is interesting though that although the battle between Hamilton and Burr was just by the laws of the time, that Burr’s political career died when Hamilton died. Both men were huge influences in their time to the formation of the united states government, but their duel wiped both of them out of the political sphere.

24. This sentence is interesting. It is the very last sentence of the letter and it is the only clear response Hamilton has given. It is defensive and he rejects the claim, but this is the first i have noticed of a clear rejection. He did not blame Dr. Cooper or the word “despicable” in this sentence. He did not blame their political history or say he is just in speaking ill due to this history. Here, he clearly states that he does not know what Dr. Cooper is talking about. It is an interesting way to close such a passive aggressive letter with a political enemy, and it shows how reluctant hamilton was to duel. He also ends it with “Your Obdt. S” to close.

Citations:

Burr, Aaron, and Matthew Livingston Davis. Memoirs of Aaron Burr: with miscellaneous selections from his correspondence. Vol. 2. Harper & brothers, 1837.

“Burr–Hamilton Duel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 June 2018,         en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel.

Cochran, Hamilton. Noted American Duels and Hostile Encounters. Chilton Books, 1963.

Fleming, T. J. (2000). Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America. Basic Books.

Ellis, Joseph J. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. Vintage, 2002.

Freeman, Joanne B. “Dueling as Politics: Reinterpreting the Burr-Hamilton Duel.” The William and Mary Quarterly 53.2 (1996): 289-318.

Freeman, Joanne B. “The Election of 1800: A Study in the Logic of Political Change.” The Yale Law Journal 108.8 (1999): 1959-1994

“Founders Online: Introductory Note: The Duel Between Aaron Burr and Alexander H …” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration,   founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-26-02-0001-0201.

Hamilton, Alexander. The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Volumes. Henry Cabot Lodge. New York: GP Putnam’s Sons, 1904.

Hamilton, John Church. Life of Alexander Hamilton: A History of the Republic of the United States of America, as Traced in His Writings and in Those of His Contemporaries. Vol. 7. Houghton, Osgood and Company,  1879.

Jefferson, Thomas, James P. McClure, and Barbara B. Oberg. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 29: 1 March 1796 to 31 December 1797. Vol. 29. Princeton University Press, 1950.

Kennedy, Roger G. Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A study in character. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Knudson, Jerry W. Jefferson and the Press. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.

O’Neill, Barry. “Mediating national honour: lessons from the era of dueling.” Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics JITE 159.1 (2003): 229-247.

Rogow, Arnold. A Fatal Friendship: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Macmillan, 1999.

Rorabaugh, William J. “The Political Duel in the Early Republic: Burr v. Hamilton.” Journal of the Early Republic 15.1 (1995): 1-23.

Shneidman, J. Lee, and Conalee Levine-Shneidman. “Suicide or Murder? The Burr-Hamilton Duel.” The Journal of  Psychohistory 8.2 (1980): 159.

Syrett, Harold C., and Jacob E. Cooke. The Papers of Alexander Hamilton. Vol. 1987. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961.

“Today in History – July 11.” Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business Reference Services, Library of Congress), Victor, www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-11/.

Wheelan, Joseph. Jefferson’s Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005.

White, Kathy. “The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.” Nat Turner’s Rebellion, 1831 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, www.gilderlehrman.org/content/hamilton-v-burr-story-behind-duel.

Writing about how I write is best done by describing my writing process for this very blog post! I always get nervous when papers are assigned in class because I am a slow writer. I have so many ideas in my head but I do not know how to formulate them on paper. I know this very issue is why I am currently having difficulty applying to medical school as well! I am a slow writer but also a perfectionist. It is quite a dangerous combination. When given a prompt such as this one, I first think about what I am going to write. It is hard for me to brainstorm on paper because often I am greeted with a flood of ideas. So I do what I do best- I procrastinate! I open up Netflix to see if I could watch reruns of The Office. After a hilarious twenty minutes watching Michael Scott procrastinate his own work, I decide to get to work. First, I need to make the ideal work environment for myself. This means I first go downstairs and grab a bowl of grapes and a cup of yogurt with granola. Of course, I can’t come back upstairs until I have annoyed my younger sisters enough. Once they kick me out of the living room, I stumble back into my bed. Oh! I forgot to watch last night’s world cup highlights. I spend about an hour and a half doing that first. Now I finish up my snack and then start rereading the prompt. I think again about all my ideas and discard 90 percent of them, shaking my head at my own wild ideas. Then, I notice the time. It’s almost 11 pm and I need to wake up at 6 to commute from home! I calculate my hours of sleep in my head and then decide it’s time to do this. Then, when I finally start, I am on a roll. I am writing like that right now, and it feels amazing. My ideas are looking clearer and my brain is less full of ideas. Now I don’t check my phone, don’t open a new tab on my laptop, and don’t look at the clock. It’s just me and my ideas.

One interesting point that we discussed in class and I found amusing was Hamilton started off as a mixtape! When I usually think of a mixtape, I think of boys gifting it their girlfriends on Valentines Day. I think of small time artists. What I don’t immediately connect this to is Hamilton: the play that thousands of people fly across the nation to watch, the musical that people jam out to on road trips, or the multimillion dollar Broadway production. It’s interesting that the play developed to this extent. I think it is important to take a look at the development of this play and take lessons from its progression. Lin-Manuel Miranda worked really hard on this musical. He spent an entire year working on the “My Shot” song alone. This project took multiple years of hard work to come together to the beautiful final product that is today. The acting, singing, and choreography were all worked out into harmony that resulted in this successful musical. This long process reminds me of my own experience with an engineering project I worked on last semester. The project was a culmination of research, coding, hardware wiring, and testing that resulted in the final device. We had to spend a significant amount of time at each phase of the project before we could move on. It required a lot of adjusting along the way just like Lin-Manuel Miranda had to do. Surprisingly, our finished product was so different from the one we envisioned at the beginning. It was important for us to stay open to new ideas and changes and not restrict ourselves to one vision of the product. Imagine if Miranda stuck with his vision of having Hamilton being a concept album; this play would never have come to life! Finally, I also find the diversity of the Hamilton cast to be a crucial aspect of the play. In today’s social and political climate, having a diverse set of actors for people to look up to and fan over is definitely a positive.

For my research project, I decided to use the letters between Burr and Hamilton in order to gain insight about events leading to their duel. The authors of this document are both Burr and Hamilton. This source was published in the public domain, as copyright rules were not available at that time. I personally accessed these articles on the Wikisource website.

I was interested in this source because it provides a direct glimpse at the toxic relationship between Burr and Hamilton. What I found difficult in this assignment was to match the context of the letters to actual historical events that Burr and Hamilton were involved in at that time. Getting a historical connotation of the two characters will give me more insight into the letters and the motivation of each person to send the letter. There is also a lot of haziness about the Burr-Hamilton duel. Scholars are unsure about how exactly Hamilton died in the duel with Burr. The causes and events leading up to the duel are also obscure and thus it is important to consider this particular resource for historical research. It may prove useful to find newspapers during this time period in order to learn about the political and economic environment that these two men lived in. I also plan on researching the families of both men to better grasp the conflict and see how deeply it is rooted. Hamilton and Burr are both very complex men who had multiple encounters and so this duel is rooted in many different layers of conflict. Deciphering these layers and learning more about each character and his motivation for the duel will prove to be challenging, but I plan on keeping detailed notes and analyses about each character. Furthermore, I will create webs and timelines in order to keep track of the progression of the fight.

 

Listening to Hamilton’s first act, I have come to notice how simple the lyrics for this musical are. It is really amazing how these simple lyrics come together to form an intricate play filled with several themes. The intricacy in this play comes not from the lyrics themselves but from the literary tools employed. The My Shot song was my favorite in the first act and it has all the literary tools that make this place such a success.

Repetition is used extensively throughout the musical. The phrase “I am not throwing away my shot!” is repeated several times in the My Shot song. The repetition of this phrase depicts one aspect of Hamilton’s personality. The repetition builds up his tenacity and restlessness. The repetition in this song also leads up to pivotal historical moments. The repeated call to “rise up!” in this song creates an environment of excitement and revolution on the stage. Burr’s personality is more cautious than Hamilton. Burr is not tenacious and restless but rather cautious and restrained. Lin-Manuel Miranda still decides to use repetition with this character. Just like Hamilton did in My Shot, Burr repeats his signature phrase “Wait for it” several times. Miranda wanted to clearly illustrate the contrast between Hamilton and Burr. The repeated “Wait for it” phrase goes on to show Burr’s indirect path to his goals. Hamilton is scrappy and is not waiting to take his shot, while Burr is more strategic observing on the sidelines and waiting for the best moment to pounce. The musical clearly depicts this difference between their personalities by repeating their signature phrases.

What impressed me about Hamilton’s first act is also the way a setting is vividly described and felt on the stage. During the Schuyler Sister’s song, the exciting feeling in New York due to the drastic changes happening at that time is also illustrated using repetition. “Look around, look around at how lucky we are to alive right now!” is repeated multiple times during that song. It made me feel the presence of the revolution on stage.

I choose the correspondences between Hamilton and Burr for the annotation project.

Link: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Hamilton%E2%80%93Burr_duel_correspondences

Burr to Hamilton, June 18, 1804

N York 18 June 1804

Sir,

I send for your perusal a letter signed Ch. D. Cooper which, though apparently published some time ago, has but very recently come to my knowledge^[1]. Mr. Van Ness, who does me the favor to deliver this, will point out to you that clause of the letter to which I particularly request your attention^[2].

You must perceive, Sir, the necessity of a prompt and unqualified acknowledgement or denial of the use of any expressions which could warrant the assertions of Dr. Cooper^[3].

I have the honor to be
Your Obdt. S^t

A. Burr^[4]

Hamilton to Burr, June 20, 1804

N York 20 June 1804

Sir:

I have maturely reflected on the subject of your letter of the 18th Instant, and the more I have reflected, the more I have become convinced that I could not without manifest impropriety make the avowal or disavowal which you seem to think necessary^[5].

The clause pointed out by Mr. Van Ness is in these terms: “I could detail to you a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr.”^[6] To endeavor to discover the meaning of this declaration, I was obliged to seek in the antecedent part of the letter for the opinion to which it referred, as having been already disclosed^[7]. I found it in these words: “Genl. Hamilton and Judge Kent have declared in substance that they looked upon Mr. Burr to be a dangerous man, and one who ought not to be trusted with the reins of Government.”^[8] The language of Dr. Cooper plainly implies that he considered this opinion of you, which he attributes to me, as a despicable one; but he affirms that I have expressed some other still more despicable; without, however, mentioning to whom, when or where^[9]. ‘Tis evident that the phrase “still more despicable” admits of infinite shades from very light to very dark. How am I to judge of the degree intended.^[10] Or how should I annex any precise idea to language so vague?^[11]

Between Gentlemen despicable and still more despicable are not worth the pains of a distinction ^[12]. When, therefore, you do not interrogate me as to the opinion which is specifically ascribed to me, I must conclude that you view it as within the limits to which the animadversions of political opponents, upon each other, may justifiably extend; and consequently as not warranting the idea of it which Dr. Cooper appears to entertain ^[13]. If so, what precise inference could you draw as a guide for your future conduct, were I to acknowledge that I had expressed an opinion of you, still more despicable than the one which is particularized^[14]? How could you be sure that even this opinion had exceeded the bounds which you would yourself deem admissible between political opponents^[15]?

But I forbear further comment on the embarrassment to which the requisition you have made naturally leads^[16]. The occasion forbids a more ample illustration, though nothing would be more easy than to pursue it^[17].

Repeating that I can not reconcile it with propriety to make the acknowledgment or denial you desire, I will add that I deem it inadmissible on principle, to consent to be interrogated as to the justness of the inferences which may be drawn by others, from whatever I may have said of a political opponent in the course of a fifteen years competition ^[18]. If there were no other objection to it, this is sufficient, that it would tend to expose my sincerity and delicacy to injurious imputations from every person who may at any time have conceived that import of my expressions differently from what I may then have intended, or may afterwards recollect^[19].

I stand ready to avow or disavow promptly and explicitly any precise or definite opinion which I may be charged with having declared to any gentleman^[20]. More than this can not fitly be expected from me; and especially it can not reasonably be expected that I shall enter into an explanation upon a basis so vague as that which you have adopted^[21]. I trust upon more reflection you will see the matter in the same light with me^[22]. If not, I can only regret the circumstances and must abide the consequences^[23].

The publication of Dr. Cooper was never seen by me ‘till after the receipt of your letter^[24].

Sir, I have the honor to be
Your Obdt. S^t

A. Hamilton

1. The first letter of the correspondence is brief and sets the tone for the rest of the letters. Burr references a letter that was bought to his attention by his colleague. The letter was published in the Albany Register by Charles D. Cooper. In the letter, the Cooper directly attacked Burr and quoted Hamilton describing Burr “to be a dangerous man, and one who ought not be trusted with the reins of government”.

2. Burr employs ethos and grants a credible source, his friend Van Ness as the narrator of the tale. He does this in order to prevent Hamilton from passing his accusations off as rumors or small talk. Burr was running in the New York gubernatorial race at the time and Hamilton publicly opposed his campaign. The sentence that particularly bothered Burr in the letter was that Mr. Cooper “could detail . . . a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr.”

3. Burr demands confirmation of Dr. Cooper’s statement. He requests clarification because his honor is hurt due to the accusation. Burr considers his honor to be in jeopardy because of said letter, so he demands a black and white answer in order to secure his ego. Honor is a big part of politics in this age, and Hamilton speaking ill of Burr hinders his honor and shows a lack of respect for Burr’s work. This is also why Burr signs off the letter with “I have your honor to be”.

4. Hamilton and Burr both sign off each letter as your “Obdt. S”, which means “obedient servant”. This greeting was commonly used during this time period and serves to give an ironic flare to the tone of the letters, which are hostile in nature. This is also referenced in the song, “Obedient Servant” in the play.

5. In this letter, Hamilton neither confirms nor denies the accusations Burr has placed upon him. Instead, he belittles Burr and amuses himself with circular talk. Instead of openly agreeing to speaking ill of Burr, Hamilton states that he cannot respond to this accusation without “manifest impropriety”. His hatred for Burr stems politically, but it also seems to be personal in this exchange of letters. Although this rivalry started with Burr defeating Hamilton’s father in law in the race for senate in 1791 and continued to deepen with more political turmoil, the taunting tone of these letters hints at personal turbulence between the two.

6. Here, Hamilton uses Burr’s own tactics of drawing upon his source to further highlight his own point. He quotes exactly what Cooper says as if to portray that he himself is not hiding any secrets. In fact, he recalls exactly the sentence that started this dispute as part of his retaliation.

7. Hamilton’s tone here is sarcastic and defensive. His “endeavor” to get to the bottom of the statements made by Cooper in the letter is half hearted, and he acts as though recalling this issue which is important to Burr is a meaningless hassle for himself. Hamilton acts as if he does not remember the statements he made in order to belittle Burr.

8. Hamilton directly quotes the letter again to remind Burr what was said about him. Hamilton is adding fuel to the fire here and it is very apparent that he has no intentions of solving this conflict. I can only imagine how fired up Burr would have been reading his part of the article. Hamilton was not afraid of making people know his opinion, and certainly wanted Burr to know what he thought about him.

9. Hamilton fights Burr in this sentence by using pathos, or feelings. He turned the accusation around and tried to shift the blame from himself to Dr. Cooper. In his next sentence, he explains that whatever Burr heard that was paraphrased by Dr. Cooper is just a reflection of how Dr. Cooper feels, not how Hamilton feels because the word “despicable” has an ambiguous nature and Dr. Cooper decided to use it to describe Burr. I can only imagine how angry Burr would feel while reading this sentence because it just accuses Burr’s character more to assume that Dr. Cooper feels this way about him.

10. Here, Hamilton distracts Burr from the issue at hand with talk of grammar. He takes the role of a teacher and drills the possibility of the various meanings of the word “despicable” into Burr’s head. This task is unnecessary and exists to belittle Burr. This sentence also functions to Hamilton’s subconscious desire to avoid duel. He changes the subject and dwells on a tangent instead of facing the consequence of his action- this confrontation.

11. Hamilton states here that has a very specific opinion about Burr that he clearly communicated with Cooper; however, he is stating that he cannot articulate that opinion based on the word “despicable”. He says this word does not accurately convey this very precise opinion. He does not tell Burr exactly what this opinion is, and instead employs vague language to criticize the use of vague language.

12. It is interesting here that Hamilton employs the term “between gentlemen” to a man who has been his political enemy for 15 years. This sentence is a comical jab at Burr. He basically is telling Burr that he called himself despicable, and asking him what really is the difference between “despicable” and “still more despicable”. This arrogance did not sit well with Burr, who demanded a duel with the still reluctant Hamilton after just eight days of negotiations.

13. Hamilton says that the statements made about Burr are typical of what political opponents say of each other and should not warrant a justification. This is a change from the accusations in the rest of the letter, which attack Burr’s personal character. Now, Hamilton brings up politics to remind Burr that they are political opponents and that he has been planning on ruining Burr’s campaign. This stems from the fact that Hamilton considered Burr to be a threat to the Federalist party had he become New York’s governor in the gubernatorial election of 1804.

14. Hamilton is extremely rude here and belittling Burr. He is basically challenging him and asking what exactly he is going to do if Hamilton does indeed tell him the “still more despicable” opinion. He is also saying that the opinion already revealed in the letter was already despicable enough to warrant a reaction from Burr. Hamilton is clearly not afraid of Burr and is trying to draw a response from Burr here.

15. Here, Hamilton plays the accusation as negligible. He tells Burr that even he would probably deem this statement as fair amongst adversaries like themselves. Here, Hamilton seems to back off of Burr a bit. He does not want to duel, and the tone in this part of the letter becomes more of Hamilton’s consolation to Burr for his actions. His response to Burr’s letter is conflicted, as clearly seen in the juxtaposition of this sentence and the previous one. But, Burr needed to defend his honor against Hamilton after the lost election and the personal attacks Hamilton was casting, so Burr was ready and willing to duel.

16. Hamilton, after insulting Burr the entire letter, acts as though he is the bigger man by doing Burr the favor of halting his insults. This larger than life talk was ironic from Hamilton, who told his friends King and Peddleton that he does not want to fire at Burr the first time, but rather receive the blow himself. His friends were shocked and reluctant to let Hamilton fight, but he did so anyway.

17. Here, Hamilton tells Burr that if he wished, he could expand on this situation further. He says this endeavor is simple and that Hamilton could effortlessly explain the request to Burr. This further circular talk demonstrates Hamilton’s reluctance to duel. I can only imagine that this makes Burr want to duel even more. When Burr and Jefferson tied in the presidential election of 1800 and the House of Representatives had to pick the winner, Burr knew that Hamilton sided with Jefferson even though he hated both Burr and Jefferson. This was a stab to Burr’s honor as Hamilton picked Jefferson over him, and Jefferson won presidency while Burr was the vice president. This letter and Burr’s knowledge of Hamilton’s political sabotage led to Burr requesting a duel.

18. Here, Hamilton draws on their history. They have fifteen years of animosity and uncomfortable political relations. After Hamilton aided Burr’s competitor to win the presidency, he also ran against Burr himself in 1804. The two men were further pitted against one another when their competition lead to a third party, Morgan Lewis, winning the presidency. He does this in order to justify his actions. He is basically saying that whatever he said to Dr. Cooper should be forgiven because they have a history of hatred, so he should be excused from his mishap. He is saying that it is not fair that Burr ask him to confirm or deny the accusation, and that Hamilton will not to so because he does not deem it necessary to dismay Burr’s suspicions.

19. Here, Hamilton uses vague language, which he objects to in the previous part of this letter, to shift the blame away from himself once more. He is acting as if Burr is drawing these conclusions and coming to this scenario without reason. But given the fifteen years of political history between Burr and Hamilton in which they are enemies, this accusation is not without cause. Furthermore, Hamilton criticized Burr at this dinner party, which lead to the letters and then finally the duel when Hamilton refused to apologize.

20. Hamilton acts as if he is very honorable and that had this claim been specific, he would have agreed or disagreed with it and given Burr the satisfaction he asked for with this letter. He also told his friends that he would not fire the first shot during the duel, but some critics think Hamilton did not throw away his shot! Even though he did not fire directly at Burr, he did shoot the first shot, which meant Burr followed and shot Hamilton in the abdomen shortly after. This fake citizenship is interesting on Hamilton’s part, and it is unclear to me still why Hamilton was so weary of a duel that he himself instigated with the tone of this letter.

21. Hamilton is the Secretary of the Treasury of the united states but he acts clueless. He acts like an explanation cannot be expected of him because he doesn’t understand the limitations of the word disgusting. He does back to the beginning of his letter here and makes a full circle. He goes from teaching Burr, to reminding him of their uncomfortable political past, and then again to teaching him about the word and really delving into the specifics of the accusation instead of clearly responding to the letter. Hamilton is weary of fighting, but obviously adamant on not apologizing.

22. What light? This letter has been very ambiguous. Hamilton does not want to fight, but he was instigating with this letter and did not give a clear response to the claims in order to defend himself or come clean at his actions. He spun the accusations around in circles, beat around the bush a few times, and then arrived at no conclusion. He then asks Burr is he agrees with this conclusion. It is quite comical and exactly what i would expect from a politician.

23. I think this sentence- a form of pure innocence that makes Hamilton seem unaware of the savage nature of his letter, is what convinced Burr of a duel. This long letter does not answer the simple accusation. It is interesting though that although the battle between Hamilton and Burr was just by the laws of the time, that Burr’s political career died when Hamilton died. Both men were huge influences in their time to the formation of the united states government, but their duel wiped both of them out of the political sphere.

24. This sentence is interesting. It is the very last sentence of the letter and it is the only clear response Hamilton has given. It is defensive and he rejects the claim, but this is the first i have noticed of a clear rejection. He did not blame Dr. Cooper or the word “despicable” in this sentence. He did not blame their political history or say he is just in speaking ill due to this history. Here, he clearly states that he does not know what Dr. Cooper is talking about. It is an interesting way to close such a passive aggressive letter with a political enemy, and it shows how reluctant hamilton was to duel. He also ends it with “Your Obdt. S” to close.

Citations:

Burr, Aaron, and Matthew Livingston Davis. Memoirs of Aaron Burr: with miscellaneous selections from his correspondence. Vol. 2. Harper & brothers, 1837.

“Burr–Hamilton Duel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 June 2018,         en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel.

Cochran, Hamilton. Noted American Duels and Hostile Encounters. Chilton Books, 1963.

Fleming, T. J. (2000). Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America. Basic Books.

Ellis, Joseph J. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. Vintage, 2002.

Freeman, Joanne B. “Dueling as Politics: Reinterpreting the Burr-Hamilton Duel.” The William and Mary Quarterly 53.2 (1996): 289-318.

Freeman, Joanne B. “The Election of 1800: A Study in the Logic of Political Change.” The Yale Law Journal 108.8 (1999): 1959-1994

“Founders Online: Introductory Note: The Duel Between Aaron Burr and Alexander H …” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration,   founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-26-02-0001-0201.

Hamilton, Alexander. The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Volumes. Henry Cabot Lodge. New York: GP Putnam’s Sons, 1904.

Hamilton, John Church. Life of Alexander Hamilton: A History of the Republic of the United States of America, as Traced in His Writings and in Those of His Contemporaries. Vol. 7. Houghton, Osgood and Company,  1879.

Jefferson, Thomas, James P. McClure, and Barbara B. Oberg. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 29: 1 March 1796 to 31 December 1797. Vol. 29. Princeton University Press, 1950.

Kennedy, Roger G. Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A study in character. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Knudson, Jerry W. Jefferson and the Press. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.

O’Neill, Barry. “Mediating national honour: lessons from the era of dueling.” Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics JITE 159.1 (2003): 229-247.

Rogow, Arnold. A Fatal Friendship: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Macmillan, 1999.

Rorabaugh, William J. “The Political Duel in the Early Republic: Burr v. Hamilton.” Journal of the Early Republic 15.1 (1995): 1-23.

Shneidman, J. Lee, and Conalee Levine-Shneidman. “Suicide or Murder? The Burr-Hamilton Duel.” The Journal of  Psychohistory 8.2 (1980): 159.

Syrett, Harold C., and Jacob E. Cooke. The Papers of Alexander Hamilton. Vol. 1987. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961.

“Today in History – July 11.” Apple Computers: This Month in Business History (Business Reference Services, Library of Congress), Victor, www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-11/.

Wheelan, Joseph. Jefferson’s Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005.

White, Kathy. “The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.” Nat Turner’s Rebellion, 1831 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, www.gilderlehrman.org/content/hamilton-v-burr-story-behind-duel.

My name is Moses Sghayyer and I just finished my first year at Georgia Tech. I am in the 3-2 program and completed an Applied Math major at Emory. At Georgia Tech, I am working towards a degree in Biomedical Engineering and anticipate to graduate in May 2019. I am in the in-person course on Tuesdays and Thursdays and my other obligations this summer include two biomedical engineering courses.

At Emory, I took a course called the Sociology of Happiness as my English course. We journaled a lot and I got to channel in my emotions for the day through this writing. We spoke about injustice in the world and the importance to remain happy and optimistic. We also spent a lot of class time with animals and in nature in order to find happiness in our surroundings. I have not taken any English courses at Georgia Tech yet. Although I do enjoy communicating verbally, I did struggle with communicating through lengthy essays. I hope to improve this skill during this class as I will try my best to combine my personal opinions with research online to produce well written pieces.

Although I have heard of Hamilton before, I have never seen it or listened to any of the music. I have heard of people going to an expensive show but I never looked into what the story was about. This is because although I love movies, I have never really been a fan of musicals due to the breaks in a story’s plot. When things get intense, the cast breaks into a 5 minute song! I love music and I love film, but I do not know if their union is my favorite thing. I am excited to learn about musicals during this class though and give them a chance! Finally, a fun fact about me is that I love soccer and my favorite player is Mohammed Salah!