Aaron Burr Hamilton Farewell Analysis

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The Duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and Washington’s Farewell Address were integral events in the founding of America. One event brought about the end of an influential Founding Father’s life and the others career, and the other announced the end of the Father’s career. The “end” of these three men impacted how historians, students, and Americans view them today. Hamilton dies as a martyr, Burr lives as a traitor, Washington retires as a figurehead. The chapters in Founding Brothers detail the legacy left by these men. Chapter One of Founding Brothers details the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The duel resulted from years, and years, and years of disagreements and slights between the two men, which culminated …show more content…

There is no clear narrative from either of the seconds, Van Ness said that Hamilton fired first at Burr, Pendelton said that Hamilton being hit by Burr caused him to pull his trigger as an involuntary reaction (Ellis, 28-29). Both seconds gave an account which would make their mentor look better, but the public ignored any attempts to humanize Burr and instead dubbed Hamilton the martyr. Chapter Four of Founding Brothers detailed the events surrounding President George Washington’s Farewell Address, published in newspapers in 1796 (Ellis, 121). Washington was reluctant to take the position of president when he was asked in 1789, as was evidenced by the fact that he had already retired in 1783 from the military (Ellis, 134). He thought about voluntarily giving up the presidency in 1792, but with advice from his cabinet officers, he agreed to a second term (Ellis, 149). At the end of his first term, Washington asked James Madison to draft a valedictory address, because his two most trusted cabinet members, Hamilton and Jefferson, were deeply involved in partisan disputes (Ellis, 149). However, at the end of the second term, Washington called upon Hamilton to draft his address (Ellis, 150). Hamilton had Washington’s writing voice down pat, from writing correspondence for him during the Revolutionary War, and his draft read much the same as it would had Washington himself written it (Ellis,

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