Alexander Hamilton was dead and buried, killed by a gun fired by Aaron Burr. At the height of his political power, Burr had killed Hamilton, and, much like Hamilton on the day he was shot, July 11, 1804, Burr’s political life would enter its death throes on July 12—the day Hamilton died.
Burr had witnessed a steady rise politically, from joining the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War to becoming attorney general for New York, then serving as a senator from 1791 to 1797. He was one vote shy of winning the 1800 presidential election and, therefore, had to settle for the vice presidency under Thomas Jefferson. Burr, however, had spurned too many political foes and allies alike, and, after the duel with Hamilton, his rise had come to an end.
After Hamilton’s death, both New York and New Jersey indicted him for murder, though he never stood trial. Burr returned to Washington to finish out his term as vice president and president of the Senate. The latter proved monumental, as he oversaw the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase, which had been instigated by Jefferson. The Senate acquitted Chase on March 1, 1805.
The following day, Burr stood before the Senate and announced his resignation to the Senate. He had been replaced by George Clinton, of New York, for vice president during the 1804 election. His party, the Democratic-Republicans, had seen the writing on the wall. Burr’s resignation came two days before Jefferson began his second term. Burr proclaimed that the Senate
“is a sanctuary; a citadel of law, of order, and of liberty; and it is here—it is here, in this exalted refuge; here, if anywhere, will resistance be made to the storms of political phrenzy and the silent arts of corruption; and if the Constitution be destined ever to perish by the sacrilegious hands of the demagogue or the usurper, which God avert, its expiring agonies will be witnessed on this floor.”
Go West
Burr’s political life in the East was over, and he now looked to the new lands in the West. On April 30, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was signed, practically doubling the size of the United States. This new territory seemed ripe for political leaders, and Burr, known for his ambition, pursued the opportunity.
