“Historical events are often the result of a variety of contributing factors.” In Founding Brothers, Author Joseph Ellis shows us that this truly was the case in early years of our Nation. Ellis uses his vast knowledge of the people and era to read between the lines of six famous historical events. The six chapters each relate an event that showed how fragile our fathers found the nation and how fervently they worked at keeping the union intact. He encourages us not to think back from the time where we stand, but where our founding fathers stood, taking in the various influences and forces that they faced when making their decisions. For brevity, I will describe the factors behind three of these events: the Burr-Hamilton duel, Madison’s outright abhorrence towards assumption, and Washington’s retirement.
The interview at Weehawken. Early on the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met as they had previously arranged and exchanged pistol shots. Who fired first was and still is not clear, but Hamilton was mortally wounded by the encounter. Why did these men have such a strong dispute that made them to take up such extreme measures? Burr had just served as vice president to Jefferson, and Hamilton was the most prominent member of the Federalist Party behind Washington. What were the factors and causes that prompted Burr to challenge Hamilton, and why had he accepted it? In order to answer these questions, Ellis guides us back through the history of their tension. In June of 1804, a letter was published in a newspaper directed towards Hamilton, demanding that he renounce his characterization of Burr. However, instead of denying ever having said such a thing, Hamilton responded to the elusive threat with an equally vague answer. He also made known that he could not recall their entire 15 year history of conflict. By doing this, Hamilton unleashed Burr’s rage, and opened up another realm that Burr could demand an apology from, and he did just that. He delivered his ultimatum, requiring a complete apology of Hamilton. When Hamilton did not deliver, Burr sent the letter for the invitation of Weehawken. However, Ellis doesn’t stop here. He takes us 15 years back, exactly when the conflict between Burr and Hamilton started. The reason that Hamilton had such dislike for Burr was that he thought Burr to be unprincipled, both in political values and personal matters. In 1789, he showed an easy change in alliance after he accepted Governor Clinton’s offer of attorney general after Hamilton’s candidate, whom Burr had supported, lost to Clinton. Their engagements just became worse from here on. Hamilton was even responsible for electing Jefferson, his fiercest political rival, over Burr for the presidency. He explained that his aversion of Jefferson was political, while Burr was “Unprincipled, both as a public and private man,” We can now see the factors behind Burr’s anger towards Hamilton. There were several other factors as well behind The Duel. Both of these men were dying. Not in a physical sense, but politically. Burr had already suffered harsh political blows, and Hamilton was the face of a fading political faction. They both had honor at stake. And finally, this honor was important to the country, because it relied on individuals to bind it together. “It still required honorable and virtuous leaders to endure. Both Burr and Hamilton came to the interview because they wished to be regarded as part of such company.” After the Revolution, the newly formed nation had debt, and lots of it. The secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton had devised a program in which the government would assume the nation’s total debt. However, when brought to Congress, the idea of assumption was met with much southerly opposition, being led by James Madison. The result was congressional deadlock. Hamilton now believed that due to his bill not being passed, the government would soon fall. If this bill of assumption was so important in Hamilton’s mind, why was Madison blocking it? There are several factors involved. First, the government had issued bonds in order for it to fund the Revolutionary War. Many …show more content…
The interview at Weehawken. Early on the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met as they had previously arranged and exchanged pistol shots. Who fired first was and still is not clear, but Hamilton was mortally wounded by the encounter. Why did these men have such a strong dispute that made them to take up such extreme measures? Burr had just served as vice president to Jefferson, and Hamilton was the most prominent member of the Federalist Party behind Washington. What were the factors and causes that prompted Burr to challenge Hamilton, and why had he accepted it? In order to answer these questions, Ellis guides us back through the history of their tension. In June of 1804, a letter was published in a newspaper directed towards Hamilton, demanding that he renounce his characterization of Burr. However, instead of denying ever having said such a thing, Hamilton responded to the elusive threat with an equally vague answer. He also made known that he could not recall their entire 15 year history of conflict. By doing this, Hamilton unleashed Burr’s rage, and opened up another realm that Burr could demand an apology from, and he did just that. He delivered his ultimatum, requiring a complete apology of Hamilton. When Hamilton did not deliver, Burr sent the letter for the invitation of Weehawken. However, Ellis doesn’t stop here. He takes us 15 years back, exactly when the conflict between Burr and Hamilton started. The reason that Hamilton had such dislike for Burr was that he thought Burr to be unprincipled, both in political values and personal matters. In 1789, he showed an easy change in alliance after he accepted Governor Clinton’s offer of attorney general after Hamilton’s candidate, whom Burr had supported, lost to Clinton. Their engagements just became worse from here on. Hamilton was even responsible for electing Jefferson, his fiercest political rival, over Burr for the presidency. He explained that his aversion of Jefferson was political, while Burr was “Unprincipled, both as a public and private man,” We can now see the factors behind Burr’s anger towards Hamilton. There were several other factors as well behind The Duel. Both of these men were dying. Not in a physical sense, but politically. Burr had already suffered harsh political blows, and Hamilton was the face of a fading political faction. They both had honor at stake. And finally, this honor was important to the country, because it relied on individuals to bind it together. “It still required honorable and virtuous leaders to endure. Both Burr and Hamilton came to the interview because they wished to be regarded as part of such company.” After the Revolution, the newly formed nation had debt, and lots of it. The secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton had devised a program in which the government would assume the nation’s total debt. However, when brought to Congress, the idea of assumption was met with much southerly opposition, being led by James Madison. The result was congressional deadlock. Hamilton now believed that due to his bill not being passed, the government would soon fall. If this bill of assumption was so important in Hamilton’s mind, why was Madison blocking it? There are several factors involved. First, the government had issued bonds in order for it to fund the Revolutionary War. Many …show more content…