Today in History: Aaron Burr Fatally Wounds Alexander Hamilton in Duel
On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr fatally shot Alexander Hamilton during a duel. The duel was the culmination of years of conflict between the two men. They were bitter political rivals from opposing factions and the animosity often got personal. Ironically, George...
The ideas that formed the Constitution: Cicero Continued
The previous installment in this series outlined the life and career of the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero. It described how John Adams relied on Cicero’s work in the preface to the first volume of his survey of republican constitutions. Although Adams was in...
Today in History: Alexander Hamilton Born
Today in 1757, it is generally believed Alexander Hamilton was born. As John Adams put it, he was “the bastard brat of a Scottish peddler.” Born out of wedlock on the British isle of Nevis, Hamilton would become one of the most influential political forces of his...