Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the famous 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that resulted in Hamilton's death and stands as the most dramatic moment in early American politics. The episode explores how Hamilton, despite being opposed to dueling on religious and moral grounds, accepted Burr's challenge after refusing to apologize for calling him despicable. Hamilton had previously lost his son Philip in a duel three years earlier under similar circumstances, yet made the extraordinary decision to use possibly the same pistols and definitely the same doctor for his own duel. The hosts present competing historical interpretations of what happened during the duel itself, with Hamilton's allies claiming he deliberately fired wide and was then shot by Burr, while Burr's supporters argued Hamilton fired first and missed. A confession Burr allegedly made to philosopher Jeremy Bentham years later suggests Burr planned to kill Hamilton. The episode provides context for the personal and political rivalry between the two men, rooted in Hamilton's Federalist vision of strong central government versus Burr's opportunistic approach to politics. Hamilton's death left his family in massive debt despite his role in creating America's financial system, while Burr's political career ended and he later faced treason charges for an apparent plot to create his own country in the American South. The duel's renewed prominence through Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton demonstrates how this 220-year-old event continues to shape American cultural memory.
Years after the duel, while living in exile in London, Aaron Burr became friends with philosopher Jeremy Bentham and allegedly confessed that he had been confident of killing Hamilton and had planned the duel accordingly. Bentham's account suggests the duel was premeditated killing rather than an affair of honor, though Burr's defenders argue his image was poisoned by enemies.
Read this moment →Alexander Hamilton made the bizarre decision to fight his fatal duel with Aaron Burr using possibly the same pistols his son Philip had used when he was killed in a duel three years earlier, and definitely employed the same doctor who had attended Philip's duel. Hamilton's son had died in 1801 after Hamilton advised him to deliberately miss his opponent, yet Hamilton chose to follow the same doomed strategy in 1804.
Read this moment →In January 1801, Alexander Hamilton wrote a scathing letter comparing Aaron Burr to the Roman conspirator Catiline and warning that Burr would attempt to usurp power through any means necessary. Hamilton's prediction proved prescient when Burr later became involved in an apparent conspiracy to create his own country on the US southern border and was tried for treason. Hamilton's fierce opposition to Burr in the 1800 election, calling him a profligate bankrupt with no fixed principles, directly led to the animosity that resulted in their fatal duel.
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