Beyond the Duel: The Exile of Aaron Burr
You might’ve heard the name Aaron Burr. Whether it was from the record breaking musical Hamilton, or in a US History class in high school. This name has become pretty popular in modern day America. Burr had some great accomplishments that should have solidified his spot in our history. He helped fight for the rights of women, served in the military, and he modernized the idea of political organization. But most people still view him as the villain. Why?
One reason might be, The Election of 1800. At the end of the election, the contest ended in a tie where both Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson had seventy-three electoral votes. But under the original Constitution, a tie-breaking vote had to take place in the House of Representatives. House members voted dozens of times without breaking the tie. On the thirty-sixth ballot, Thomas Jefferson ultimately won. According to The American Yawp, “Republicans believed they had saved the United States from grave danger” (American Yawp 163) This evidence explains what America thought of Aaron Burr at the time. The Republicans thought they were fighting to rescue the country from an over-controlling takeover.
Secondly, Aaron Burr famously took part in a duel against Alexander Hamilton. In the famous musical Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda portrayed Aaron Burr as this villain in the story. Before the duel Aaron Burr says, “This man has poisoned my political pursuits” (Burr, “The World Was Wide Enough”) this lyric is what Aaron thought of Hamilton. He thinks Alexander grew too fast and too vast that people preferred him over himself. “They won’t teach you this in your classes, but look it up, Hamilton was wearing his glasses. Why? If not to take deadly aim. It’s him or me, the world will never be the same” (Burr, “The World Was Wide Enough”) This lyric develops the setup to Alexander’s slaughter. This is why some people consider Aaron Burr to be a villain.
Get Jeremiah’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
To counter the narrative of the villain, it is crucial to recognize that Burr was, in many ways, ahead of his time. His contributions were in the realm of social justice, specifically his early and unwavering advocacy for women’s rights. Burr was one of the few people to champion the ideas presented in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, arguing that women deserved equal education, suffrage, and the right to property — ideas that were highly controversial at the time. Beyond social issues, Burr dramatically modernized American politics. He recognized that the old system favored elites, so he reorganized the Tammany Society into an efficient, ground-level political machine. By mobilizing common voters in New York, he effectively invented the template for the modern political party structure, broadening the electorate and challenging established hierarchies.
While the notoriety of the Election of 1800 and the fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton cemented his villainous reputation in the public imagination, these disastrous moments should not completely erase his positive contributions. The evidence suggests that Aaron Burr was not a simple villain, but a complex figure whose ambition and failures tragically overshadowed his progressive impact on the young republic. Burr’s unwavering commitment to women’s rights and his groundbreaking efforts to modernize political organization reveal a forward-thinking reformer dedicated to broadening the American electorate and challenging elitist structures. His is ultimately a legacy of profound contradiction, where a reformer’s vision was overshadowed by a politician’s tragic mistakes.
The American Yawp. Edited by Joseph Locke and Ben Wright, Stanford University Press, 2019. Optional for Open Access: The American Yawp. The American Yawp, www.americanyawp.com.
Miranda, Lin-Manuel. “The World Was Wide Enough.” Hamilton: An American Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Atlantic Records, 2015.
