Hamilton-Burr duel and the 10-dollar note
The guy on the US ten-dollar bill is, of course, Alexander Hamilton and he was killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr.
Hamilton was a revolutionary war hero and leading architect of the new American government. He co-authored the Federalist Papers, considered one of the most important contributions to American political thought. As Washington’s right-hand man and the first US Secretary of the Treasury, he formulated an economic policy that got the then-new nation on its feet.
Aaron Burr was a colonel in the Continental Army and briefly served – as Hamilton did – with Washington at Valley Forge. In the election of 1800, he was in a deadlock with Thomas Jefferson for the presidency, with 73 votes each. The election went to the House of Representatives to be decided. There Federalist votes kept the election deadlocked until the 36th ballot, when Hamilton’s influence gave the presidency to Jefferson. Burr, a Republican, became vice president.
Many at the time thought that the political mudslinging of Burr by Hamilton may have cost him the election. The animosity between the two men would continue until July 1804 when Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel, and as was customary, was accepted.
The fateful day came on July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey. Vice President Aaron Burr and former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton faced off, and Hamilton was mortally wounded. He was dragged from the dueling area and died the next day. While the nation mourned, Burr returned to complete his term as vice president but his success in the duel proved to be to his detriment. There was some talk of murder charges being brought against him, but as the rules of the duel were followed, no indictment was carried forward. He would later go on to be charged for treason for his ill-fated attempt to establish his own empire in the South.
Aaron Burr (1756-1836) served as US Vice President from 1801-05. He disliked Hamilton, accusing him of competing for political positions and the favors of married women in New York’s high society.
Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) was mortally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton disliked Burr because the orphan Burr came from a relatively privileged background while he was the unacknowledged illegitimate son of a Jamaican planter.
Story submitted by John Nelson
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was it like a fist fight or like with weapons or neither? please answer!!
It was a duel with pistols.
So… hamilton was black?
Hamilton according to Abigail Smith Adams, first lady to the second present John Adams, was a second “Cassius,” very cunning, and like to stir up trouble. It is hard for me to accept that Hamilton was chosen to be on the 10 dollar bill, instead of Adams. It was 2nd president John Adams that spent over 20 years after the American Revolution in France and Holland working up treatises, and getting money from Holland to secure the Union. He spent, and sacraficed his whole life for the preservation of the new United States.
This country, with it's pomp, and ridicule make me sick.
Ok, however Hamilton was the first US Secretary of the Treasury, was he not? I kinda feel he deserves to be on a monetary bill of SOME denomination.
After years of Hamilton's money laundering, and embezzlement, and adultery, and undermining the hard work of Adams at first, and later on Jefferson, it is hard for me to accept the fact whom the U.S. puts on a pedestal.
George Washington said that Alexander Hamilton was his most trusted advisor and was given free reign not only as aide de campe for Washington but also as the Secretary of Treausry. It was his economic policies that became the foundation of the American System of Political Economy and thanks to him allowed not only all of the state and federal debt to be paid off but also to help foment this Union of states we enjoy today. Had his opponents have had their way, each state might still have their own currency and it is my opinion it would have split over the issue of slavery (due to stronger states rights as opposed to a strong federal government). Alexander Hamilton is an unsung hero and I would suggest researching him as his life was truly inspirational.
P.S. he did not launder money, embezzle, nor do anything other than stand up for what he believed in. He did however commit adultery, but why does that matter.
Hamilton was NOT black. During this time, blacks were still slaves.
So, Alexander Hamilton's picture appears on the $10 bill, though he was never president of the US. why is his picture there?
So who cares if he wasn't a president? I must of missed the legal decree that says only US presidents can be on american currency. Read the first paragraph of this column and you can now understand why his mug adornes our 10 dollar bill..
why was hamilton on the bill?this only talks about a fight!!!!
do you know any facts on the 10 dollar bill just need three more
y was amilton in the bill? was he very important
yes cuz he was a great president and yes he was important
Has anyone seen the face in the lower right hand corner window of the building on the back side of the 10/20 dollar bill?
It was a duel with pistols. The duelists paced off turned and fired.
[...] Story of the US ten dollarThe guy on the US ten-dollar bill is, of course, …. He spent, and sacraficed his whole life for the preservation of the new United States. … [...]
I'm a little late getting in to this discussion, but Benjamin Franklin was never President either. The similarities of both these womanizers (a bad thing in their day) makes me believe that the Bill Clinton, $3 bill should be legal tender.