Why was Aaron Burr mad at Alexander Hamilton?

Answer 1

Alexander Hamilton hated Aaron Burr because he thought that Burr was devoid of any basic moral principles. In the 1700s the common term for people like that was an "intriguer", and that's exactly what Hamilton thought of Burr. Hamilton was looking out for the whole government, he thought, but Burr was looking out for Burr. Aaron Burr was willing to do whatever it took if the end result ended up advantageous for him. This infuriated Hamilton, who had taken so much libel from the Republican newspapers. As Hamilton wrote in 1800, he could stand someone like Jefferson, who just had the "wrong" moral principles. But Burr had none at all.

However, Burr hated Hamilton because he viewed Hamilton as the sole detriment to the rise of his career. Hamilton had first prevented him from the presidency in the convoluted, messy election of 1800. The other Federalists tried to get Burr president, but Hamilton (the Federalist leader) campaigned mercilessly against it, using every speck of influence he had. And Hamilton hadn't stopped there. In the race for New York governor Hamilton had intervened again and it hadn't ended up advantageous for Burr.

And so Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. But he made the mistake of actually killing Hamilton (and if Hamilton hadn't died he surely would have been crippled, but that's another story), which ruined his reputation for pretty much all of time. In death Hamilton had done what he had tried so hard to do in life.

Answer 2

Burr, a Republican, and Hamilton, a Federalist, had been bitter political rivals for years, beginning when Burr took Hamilton's father-in-law's seat in Congress.

In the 1800 Presidential election, Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson each received the same number of votes, enough to unseat the incumbent John Adams, but resulting in a tie for the presidency. The Electoral College was unable to resolve the tie, so the House of Representatives became responsible for determining the outcome of the race. Whichever man received the most House votes would become the next President; the other would be Vice-President.

The House attempted to resolve the stalemate in 36 votes over seven days. Alexander Hamilton, who was then Secretary of the Treasury, used his political influence to convince the Representatives to vote for Jefferson. Burr learned of Hamilton's political maneuver, which escalated the animosity between the two.

In 1804, after Burr had been defeated in the New York Gubernatorial race, he learned Hamilton had allegedly made some disparaging remarks about Burr's character. The particulars are unknown because Hamilton's insults were only implied, not quoted.

A man named Dr. Cooper wrote a private letter to an acquaintance, and the letter was somehow leaked to a newspaper. The part Burr found offensive:

"Genl. Hamilton and Judge Kent have declared in substance that they looked upon Mr. Burr to be a dangerous man, and one who ought not to be trusted with the reins of Government. I could detail to you a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr."

Burr exchanged several letters with Alexander Hamilton requesting an apology, but Hamilton refused. Burr's initial approach seems to have been relatively straightforward and non-confrontational, but Hamilton's response was taunting and Burr's anger eventually escalated to the point of challenging Hamilton to a duel to defend his honor.

Hamilton accepted, but history tells us he intentionally fired into a tree limb about fourteen feet above and four feet wide of Burr's head. Burr either believed Hamilton intended to shoot him or simply took advantage of an opportunity (the truth has never been determined), and fired directly at Hamilton, hitting him in the abdomen. Hamilton sustained organ damage and a severed spinal cord, and died the next day, July 12, 1804.

Burr was charged with murder in both New York and New Jersey, where the duel was held, but the case was never prosecuted.

Additionally, some historians cite evidence that Hamilton decided in advance of the duel that he would not fire his weapon. Hamilton was wounded in his liver by Burr and died 33 hours later in New York. Before his death he reportedly forgave Burr.

Answer 3

Burr was veary angry at Hamilton. Burr was a Democratic/Republican and Hamilton was a Federalist. This meant they already had many differences. Also, Hamilton was saying bad things about Burr, illegally, and it was posted in the news paper. This caused a duel between them both.

Answer 4

Thomas Jefferson was a democratic republican. Alexander Hamilton was a federalists. The two parties had different political views. They often disagreed on things such as, how many years you had to be a citizen of the US to vote.

Answer 5

Hamilton voted for Jefferson instead of Burr, and Burr got angry and challenged him to a duel. Hamilton died in that battle, then Lewis and Clark were sent to explore Louisiana.

Answer 6

Because they don't like each other and they also want to the president.