Sunday, April 30, 2017

Character Lesson in Negativity: The Story of Hamilton

With the success of the Broadway musical there has been much hoopla over Alexander Hamilton as of late. Yet, the mere mention Aaron Burr to a high school history teacher and the reaction is quite different. It is time to set the record straight. Two of the most powerful politicians in our nation's founding made it their life mission to destroy the political career of Aaron Burr. Here is some clarifying insight that sheds light on motive and truth. This blog focuses on Alexander Hamilton's foibles. (The other is Thomas Jefferson who used a paid spy of Spain James Wilkinson to trump up fake treason charges that resulted in Not Guilty.)

It is said that after becoming a successful attorney Aaron Burr never lost a case that he personally handled as first chair. Burr was a master wordsmith. He made reasoned, short and to the point cogent arguments impressing both judges and juries alike. Nathan Schachner described Burr's legal abilities in his 1937 biography, 

"More important, he prepared his cases thoroughly....His argument was prepared to the last detail before he entered the courtroom...Burr's mind was agile and active; he seized the essential points of an argument with unerring insight, and possessed the faculty of reducing an elaborate, difficult discussion to a single luminous point. He was always a strict practitioner, addicted to every legal technicality, never soliciting his opponent's favor nor indulgent in overlooking the errors of others, but courteous to his adversary and eminently polite."

Burr was truly a prodigy trial lawyer. Hamilton on the other hand waxed eloquently and long. His legal work, although first rate, did not compare. 

The same for lobbying. The Holland Company, a group of European land investors, hired Hamilton to change the New York laws so that foreigners could own land outright. Hamilton was not successful. Burr accomplished this amazing legislative feat. By doing so, he stripped Hamilton of a $250k loan for his father in law's canal business which was a deal Hamilton had with The Holland Land Company had he been successful.  

As for military affairs, the same can be said. Although a close aide de camp to George Washington, Hamilton was not the daring, military mastermind as Burr. When Washington determined the brigade trapped at Brooklyn Heights could not be saved from the British, Aaron Burr proposed to do just that (with Washington's reluctant permission). He swooped in saving the brigade by safely leading them out of the reach of capture by the British to safety at Harlem Heights. When Burr arrived to lead the escape, the commanding American officer defied Burr and ordered his brigade to remain. Burr persuaded the fearful men anyway and spared all their lives, including Hamilton's. This marked the first time Aaron Burr spared Hamilton's life.  

Burr made it a practice his whole  life to live as a gentleman. He adhered to the principles for gentlemen as practiced and published in"Letters Written by Lord Chesterfield to his Son." He made it a practice to never reduce negative aspersions of someone's character in writing. Upon his last wishes, he requested that his biographer Matthew Davis destroy any papers whose contents could possibly injure anyone's character. Hamilton was the opposite. He resorted to the pen fast and furious. His pieces were acerbic and vitriolic attacks on his political enemies. Among those included was a diatribe against John Adams which caused his Federalist party leaders to lose faith in him. He launched a secret letter writing campaign against Burr, which helped Jefferson defeat Burr in the election of 1800. During one of Hamilton's angry escapades, he challenged James Monroe to a duel. It was Burr who acted as Monroe's second, diplomatically stopping the duel and saving Hamilton's life. 

Hamilton held office one time. He was elected to the Congress of the Confederation from New York, Hamilton depended on his power from the influence of other leaders. He managed to successfully turn Washington against Burr and thereby deprive Burr of a military appointment when war was about to break out against France. Adams as President preferred Burr over the intrigues of Hamilton. Burr held numerous offices from assemblyman in New York to the Vice Presidency. Burr created his own power and proved this when he was able to outpolitic New Yorks' ruling families: the Clintons and the Livingstons. He depended on no one for power. He is credited with creating the power of political parties through his novel electioneering methods. His political influence was so great he put the Republicans in power in 1800, shocking the Federalists. Hamilton held no such colossal powers. Burr defeated Hamilton's father in law, Philip Schuyler for a bid in the New York Senate. Hamilton was outraged. Hamilton made sure  Burr would be defeated as New York governor by strong negative campaigning. Hamilton also made sure Burr would not be elected President in the election of 1800 by a smear campaign. This took much doing on Hamilton's part as the election of 1800 is the most contested Presidential campaign in history, not decided until the 36th vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

When Hamilton was caught red handed in the smear campaign that cost Burr the Governor's office after he had narrowly missed being elected President, this was Burr's final straw. He gave Hamilton a chance to make amends. Rather than honestly fall on the sword by admit wrongdoing or attempting amends, Hamilton acted the aggrieved party even falsely writing in his will that he would throw away his first shot in the duel (witnesses prove otherwise). 

So in the hoopla over Hamilton, one must not fall into the trap of thinking that the lurking devil that cost Hamilton his life was Burr.  It was quite the opposite. Had Hamilton survived the duel, it is very unlikely that he would have changed his ways. His was an all consuming jealous passion against Burr's success. Burr was happy to live his life focusing on his own objectives and accomplishments. Hamilton, on the other hand, had to actively pursue measures that attacked not just his bitter rival's character but livelihood. Although Hamilton has much to admire in his short life (his economic measures that put this young country on a strong footing), one would benefit from learning the moral of the story. Focus on creating greatness. It does not pay to focus on tearing others apart.