Burr confessed to Bentham he planned to kill Hamilton in duel
"Bentham said of Burr, 'Burr gave me an account of his jewel with Hamilton, he was sure of being able to kill him, so I thought it little better than murder.' In other words, Burr planned the whole thing."
About this episode
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.
Key takeaways
- Alexander Hamilton deliberately fired wide during his 1804 duel with Aaron Burr but was shot and killed anyway, with philosopher Jeremy Bentham later claiming Burr confessed it was premeditated murder
- Hamilton used possibly the same pistols and definitely the same doctor from the duel that killed his son Philip three years earlier, following the same failed strategy of deliberately missing
- Hamilton's fierce opposition to Burr stemmed from political concerns that Burr would attempt to usurp power and destroy the Union, predictions later validated when Burr was tried for treason
- Aaron Burr challenged Hamilton to the duel after losing the 1804 New York governor's race, blaming Hamilton for repeatedly blocking his political ambitions through negative campaigning
- The duel took place on July 11, 1804 in Weehawken, New Jersey because dueling laws were less strictly enforced there than in New York, with witnesses deliberately turning away to maintain deniability
- Hamilton died the next day after being shot in the abdomen, the bullet ricocheting through his organs and lodging in his spine, but lived long enough to receive communion and forgive Burr
- Burr fled to Georgia immediately after the duel and was charged with murder in both New York and New Jersey but never convicted due to lack of witnesses, ending his political career as sitting vice president