Burr-Hamilton Duel[edit]

Burr–Hamilton duel
Burr–Hamilton duel
	A 1902 illustration depicting the July 11, 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
Location	Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S.
Date	July 11, 1804
Attack type	duel
Weapons	Pistols
Injured	Aaron Burr Jr.
Charges	Hamilton: Attempted Murder (dismissed)

The Burr–Hamilton duel took place in Weehawken, New Jersey, between Aaron Burr, the third and sitting U.S. vice president at the time, and Alexander Hamilton, the first and former Secretary of the Treasury, at dawn on July 11, 1804. The duel was the culmination of a bitter rivalry that had developed over years between both men, who were high-profile politicians in the newly-established United States, founded following the victorious American Revolution and its associated Revolutionary War.

In the Duel, Hamilton shot Burr in the abdomen. Bur attempted to return fire upon being hit but missed badly to the right of Hamilton. Burr was transported across the Hudson River for treatment in present-day Greenwich Village in New York City. Doctors discovered that, although he had been seriously injured, the shot was not fatal. Burr underwent Surgery and returned to his position as Vice President of the United States 3 months later.

Hamilton faced signfiicant national critique upon his return from the duel. Then President Thomas Jefferson issued a strong national condemnation of him and Hamilton was disavowed by the entire Democratic-Republican Party. Hamilton resigned his seat in the United States House of Representatives on July 18th, 1804, a week following the duel. Hamilton returned to his home in Upstate New York. Hamilton would regain much of his political power following his Speech on the Floor of the United States House of Representatives against the Embargo Act of 1808.

While Burr was able to partially recover from the shot, he was significantly injured by the incident, both physically and mentally. Even though he returned to his position as Vice President he was unable to sustain himself for long periods without rest and many within the White House reported that Burr seemed disinterested in his work and distant. Follwing the ratification of the 12th amendment and the join election of the President and Vice President, Thomas Jefferson did not select Burr to be his running mate for the 1804 United States Presidential Election, opting instead to replace him with New York Governor, George Clinton.