Aaron Burr & Alexander Hamilton: Colonial Hotheads

This blog post should really be called “How not to overcome adversity”!  Did you ever know someone who was intelligent and quick thinking; someone who seemed to have everything in the world going for them, but because of their temper and stubbornness, threw it all down the drain?  Take a gander at a list of famous hotheads in history, and you’ll see quite a few familiar characters.  You have to wonder about the thought processes of someone who would give it all up because of their petulant personality.  Two examples of such dimwitted behavior were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

      

Aaron Burr was born into relative comfort in 1756.  His father was Aaron Sr., the second president of Princeton University, and Aaron Jr. graduated from the University at the tender age of 16.  He went on to study theology, but eventually changed to law.

      

In 1776, when the Revolutionary War came calling, Aaron left school to join the fight for independence.  He saw action in many battles, and spent that infamous winter at Valley Forge. However, he and General Washington did not always see eye to eye.  He wound up having to leave the military in 1779 due to poor health, and went on to become a successful attorney in New York; for a while sharing a practice with his soon- to- be nemesis, Alexander Hamilton.

      

Eventually, he went into the political arena, but was never really successful.  He was often known to change opinions or political parties when it best suited his purposes.  This did not please the likes of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, or Thomas Jefferson.  The Presidential election of 1800 brought all of this dirty laundry out into the open.  When Burr and Jefferson were tied in the Electoral College after 35 ballots, Alexander Hamilton finally persuaded Federalists to support Jefferson because, as he said, “At least we know where he stands”.  Coming in second to Jefferson, Burr went on to become Vice President, but was never trusted by his commander-in-chief, Thomas Jefferson. 

    

Knowing the Republican Party would never support him in Jefferson’s reelection, Aaron began secretly negotiating with the Federalists to become the governor of New York in 1804.  Alexander Hamilton found out his plan, and threw his support behind Burr’s opponent, Morgan Lewis, ensuring a landslide victory for Lewis.

      

Born under very different circumstances, Alexander Hamilton was born out of wed lock to a French Woman and a Scottish drunkard in 1757.  He was, as John Adams so delicately put it, “A true bastard”.  Despite these meager beginnings, Hamilton became a real life rags to riches “American Dream” story.  After coming to America, he was educated, and fought alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War.  He became Washington’s aide de camp, his most trusted advisor, during not only the Revolutionary War, but the Constitutional Convention.

He also became instrumental in the first presidential cabinet.  His strong Federalist opinions, which he never kept to himself, were for a strong centralized government.  He felt there was a real need to unite the nation, and lower its debt.  Unfortunately, many of his policies were stopped cold in their tracks, courtesy of none other than Aaron Burr.    

     

Due to his questionable beginnings; Hamilton felt the need to overcompensate, to always prove he was the better man.  His reputation for being honest and forthright meant more to him than anything else.  If Alexander Hamilton felt you weren’t being true to the red white and blue, he was the first to call you out on it!

       

Every time Burr changed either his political party, or was caught secretly negotiating deals, it increased Hamilton’s disdain and distrust of Burr.  He thought Burr was a threat and capable of destroying the young republic.

     

In any election, Hamilton opposed Burr.  Even when Burr was running against other well known foes of Hamilton’s as in the Election of 1800 when Burr ran against Thomas Jefferson for President.    

      

Everything came to a head when Aaron Burr campaigned to win the New York Governor’s election in 1804.  During the campaign, a letter was written in the Albany Register.  The author, Dr. Charles Cooper recalled an episode the previous February when Hamilton questioned Burr’s qualifications to become governor.  Whatever it was that Hamilton said about Burr was not specified in the letter.   However, the letter ended with Cooper stating, “I could detail to you a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed about Mr. Burr”.  Burr felt the word “despicable” was slanderous and libel.  He demanded an apology from Hamilton, even though Hamilton was never actually quoted in the article.  What followed were several correspondences between Burr, Hamilton, and their representatives.  Burr insisted on an apology, Hamilton denied he had anything to apologize for-- he was never actually quoted in the article!

     

Every successive letter caused each man to dig in his heels and become more and more stubborn.  Neither one would back down.  The situation escalated until finally, Burr challenged Hamilton to an “interview” to defend his honor.  Interview was another word for duel.  Why the coded verbiage?  Dueling was against the law!  Believe it or not, at that time, there was an entire series of terms and actions drawn up, so that anyone who was party to a duel could escape prosecution on technicalities.  These technicalities included no one at the scene, doctors or even people who had given the hotheads a ride to the fight, could even look at the duelers as the shots were being fired. They had to turn away and look in the other direction. Only the “seconds” were allowed to actually be in the vicinity.  Why?  So anyone else involved, other than the chief participants, could honestly say they never saw a shot fired.  Society had devised a series of “gentlemanly” loopholes!

     

 Most “interviews” were resolved before they ever took place.  Those that did take place usually ended with the participants receiving non- serious or flesh wounds due to the inaccuracy of the weaponry, or as was the practice, the choice to fire away from your opponent.  Firing away from your opponent worked because you could technically say you fired your weapon.  Your honor was saved, and no one got hurt.

     

On July 4, 1804, both Burr and Hamilton attended the Order of the Cincinnati.  This was a private club for officers of the Revolutionary War. During their July 4^th celebrations, Burr and Hamilton were actually seated next to each other.  Burr was uncharacteristically quiet, and Hamilton had a great time.  He even went so far as to sing military songs!   No one could guess what was to come.  While no one had any idea what Burr was planning for the “interview”, Hamilton made it quite clear he had no intention of firing to hit Burr.  He planned on following the “gentleman’s code” for dueling.  However, this was not to be.  On July 11, 1804, on a bluff overlooking Weehawken, New Jersey, two heroes of the American Revolution, and political adversaries, met for an “interview”.  One intended, as he had written in letters written before the meeting, to discharge his round into the air.  The other, however, chose to take steady aim when he, according to the rules, was allowed a free shot.  In an instant, Burr took aim and mortally wounded Hamilton just above the hipbone.  Some thought that this proved that Burr’s intent was to inflict a “flesh wound”.

     

Whatever Burr’s intent, rumors and lies began to surround the duel almost as soon as the shots were fired.  This is interesting, especially when everyone involved was supposedly either not there, or looking away, as it is stated in the “rules of conduct” for such activities.

     

The end result was that one of the authors of the Federalist Papers was hours from death.  A man despised by many for his strong opinions would become a martyr for liberty.  Aaron Burr, the Vice President of the United States would be accused by many as the new “Benedict Arnold”.  Because of this, he would flee to South Carolina, only to eventually return to finish his term as vice president and fulfill the prophecy by attempting treasonous acts with Great Britain and France that were to eventually end his career.

     

These two political hotheads couldn’t find it within themselves to put aside petty differences for the good of their county.  They let one word – despicable – ruin two promising careers.

☺   Many times, we may feel the need to rip into an adversary.  Heaven knows sometimes they deserve it!  Telling someone to count to ten is not always the best solution.  You need to take some time to really think about what upsets you about this person.  Anger and jealously can eat you alive as well as acid.  It’s just NOT worth it! It can stifle creativity, cloud your thinking, and let’s face it, make you do and say some really stupid things.  So before you challenge that adversary to the proverbial “interview”, ask yourself if it’s really worth it.  Will this back you into a corner and leave you no alternative but to fire?  Keep in mind what happened to Hamilton and Burr, and remember you have no “second”.

If you liked this blog, check out Mistakes Happen: An Historical Guide to Overcoming Adversity on sale at www.hfkpresents.com or www.amazon.com

    

Historic Easter Egg Rolls

Did the Easter bunny visit your house this year?  Did you attend or host an Easter egg roll?  This festive holiday activity has been celebrated with the first family of the United States for over 150 years. 

The first documented informal Easter egg roll was hosted by Abraham Lincoln’s son Tad in 1861.   The egg roll as we now know it was begun by President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy.  Early press accounts say the festive Easter Monday tradition was begun on the steep grassy lawn of the capitol building, not the White House in the early 1870s.

In 1876, too many falls on old egg shells, as well as the destruction of the Capitol grounds brought an Act of Congress that said the grounds of the capitol building were not to be used as a playground.  Heavy rains on Easter 1877 prevented the law from being enforced until the following year.

A New York newspaperman in 1878 relayed the story of a few lads approaching a strolling President Hayes and asking permission to have the egg roll on his lawn.  Not wanting to say no to the boys, the President allowed anyone who wished to permission to use the White House lawn for their egg roll.  More than 8,000 children showed up on Easter of 1879 to roll their eggs on the White House lawn.

Over the years, many notable children have rolled their Easter eggs down the White House lawn.  Children of Alexander Graham Bell, Teddy Roosevelt, and a young Charles Lindbergh have all taken part in the tradition.  In 1927, a five year old Nancy Reagan participated.  Of course, that was not to be the only time she would take part—she would host eight of her own Easter egg rolls as First Lady from 1981-1988.

During World War I and World War II, as well as during the renovation of the White House during the Truman administration, the egg roll was held on the National Mall.

Today, the Easter Egg Roll is one of the largest public events to be held at the White House.

George Washington: Marathon Man!

Source

Remember the Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare?  Do you remember the moral of the story?  It was “Slow and steady wins the race”.  This famous quote from Aesop would be the perfect credo for a very famous American, George Washington.  While many people know the first President as the kid who could never tell a lie, the guy with the wooden teeth, or the General who led our troops to victory during the Revolutionary War, Washington suffered through many times of adversity, and he made his share of mistakes, too.  

Source

George wasn't known for making rash or snap decisions.  He took his time, looked at a problem from all sides, and then passed judgment on a situation.  After all, he knew everything he did, every decision he made, was being made in uncharted territory, and future generations would be watching.

     

Talk about pressure!  He’d have to be sure every decision he made was done after careful, thoughtful debate. Otherwise, he would always have the fear that he was, at some time, going to flub it up.    It’s no wonder he could be considered a Marathon Man.

     

George Washington inherited Mount Vernon from his brother after his death in 1759.   He lived there with his wife Martha, and raised tobacco as his chief crop.  As was the practice of the time, George would sell his crop to an agent in London.  The agent would quote him a price for his crop, and George would calculate what he would make from that shipment.  Based on the prices quoted from the agent in London, George would tell the agent how much china, dress material, furniture, etc. to buy for him and Martha for the coming year.  Now George had always wanted to be part of the upper echelon of society, and he felt having the best of everything from Europe was the way to get things rolling.

    

What George didn’t initially know was that his British agent, like many others in Britain, saw the American colonists, despite being subjects of the crown, as ignorant backwoodsmen, incapable of knowing anything about goods and services in London.   

     

Strangely enough for George, every year the price tobacco sold for at market was lower than the price quoted by the agent, and the price of goods was higher.  He wasn’t making any money on this venture!  It took the Marathon Man a while to realize this, but when he finally figured it out, he told the agent if he continued to work with him, he’d be in debtor’s prison!  Worse yet, at the time, selling his crops to the British was his only option.  At the time, London was the only tobacco market.   A rock and a hard place?  You’d better believe it!  He had to find a way to make a profit from his crop.

    

Source

Fortunately, George had studied agricultural science.  He knew all about the methods of crop rotation. He knew he could convert part of his land to grow the type of grain required for making WHISKEY!  Whiskey was something he could sell directly to the colonist with no money grubbing agent involved.  This would guarantee he would get a fair market value for his goods, and at last make a profit on his crops.

     

As a Marathon Man weighing his options, Washington came to realize for the first time during the French and Indian War that the British didn’t consider the colonists true British subjects, or colonial soldiers as members of the true British military. 

    

Even back then, George knew he had the “stuff” to be a military officer.    He had proved his worth to his superior officers many times.  Not only was he a quick study, but he solved the problems of recruitment,  the logistics of getting supplies to the men,  as well as the problem of desertions, which gained him the respect of his superiors.  He also knew the territory well.  Years before as a surveyor, he had gone over every nook and cranny of the land.  However, during the war, while he was involved in many of the skirmishes as a lowly colonist, he was considered less important to the British than a member of the “regular” military.  As a result, he was never allowed to become a military officer.  He was relegated to leading militia.  Farmers, blacksmiths, shop keepers, the average Joes were the men Washington led during the war.

     

 Ironically, after being captured by the French, he signed surrender, and was allowed to be released. As he was only a colonist, he was not considered an important cog in the British Army wheel, and of no real consequence to enemy.
     

Source

Washington’s reputation with the British began to change in 1755, when General Edward Braddock was leading an expedition into the Ohio Territory against the French.  While Washington was part of that expedition, he was very sick at the time, and not in the front column of men.  The troops were ambushed by the French and their Indian allies.  Word was quickly sent to the rear guard of the waylay.  Twenty-three year old George, sick as he was, rallied the Virginia militia to try and save the General from the ambush.  The militia was unsuccessful, but more importantly for George, he was beginning to be seen as a leader in the eyes of the regular military. 

     

As a result, he began acting more like a regular military soldier than a colonist leading a militia.   By the end of the war, Washington was considered a hero not for the battles he had won, necessarily, but the battles he had survived. After the success Washington had, carefully building his reputation during the French and Indian War, one would think that when it came to the Revolutionary War, George would have sailed through all adversity, and forever be seen as the thoughtful, deliberate general who saved the colonies.   Well, while that might make sense, when does life ever make sense?  George should have had a little post it pinned to his uniform that read “Remember George, slow and steady wins the race.”---and he should have looked at it…often!

Source

    
Without that handy dandy little post- it note, George was not true to himself in August of 1776 during the Battle of Long Island in New York.  Let’s pick up the story after Washington and his men chased the British out of Boston earlier that year.   By June, George had set his sights on his troops doing the same to General William Howe and his men in New York.  However, unlike in Boston, George and his officers didn’t position the troops in the most advantageously strategic place to fight the enemy.  The British started their advance, and struck upon the Patriots weak defense of the area.  Regarding the practical Rules of Engagement, George realized it was surrender or retreat.  Up until this time, in past European wars, surrendering was the norm.  This time, George thought about it and going against the norm, decided to sneak his men across the East River under the protection of darkness, rain and the fog that had rolled into the area.  Howe never realized the troops had moved out. 

  

Once Washington had regrouped his troops, the Marathon Man sat back and realized that maybe he shouldn’t have placed his men in New York so hastily.  Maybe there was something to the slow, deliberate, and thoughtful method of working he had relied on to make his mark in the world.

      

Source

Taking this new realization into account, the winter of 1777-78 saw George scouting a location for his winter encampment.  By this time, the British had taken Philadelphia, and had claimed the city as their winter encampment.    You see, unlike today, during the 18^th century, there was an agreed upon understanding that armies do not fight during the winter.  George felt the most logical place to encamp his army was the fertile county side outside of Philadelphia centered on Valley Forge.   

He felt this was the most logical place because it contained the most supplies, crops, etc. to sustain the 12, 000 men in the camp that winter.  Yes, George, that would make sense, but we all know what happened at Valley Forge!  Due to sickness, lack of clothing, and lack of food, at any given time there were less than 2,000 men available.  WHAT HAPPENED?  Well, what George didn’t know was that the farmers of the little valley decided to sell their crops to the highest bidder…the British.  They had the money for the crops that the colonists didn’t.  By the time Washington had realized what was going on, it was too late.   In something that could be taken right out of today’s headlines, Congress was slow to pay up for the required supplies, and farmers were not willing to sell on credit. After all there was a war going on!  Well Marathon Man, this is a pretty kettle of fish, ain’t it?  Okay, let’s say it another way…it’s a marathon, not a sprint! 
     

Source

 To begin with, Washington got Major General Nathaniel Green as his quartermaster.  Green was able to solve the supply problems by ordering a “grand forage”.  This meant forcibly confiscating all cattle, horses and grain that remained in the region. It wasn’t the most agreeable solution, but it was one that was necessary. 

     

Secondly, he asked Prussian drill master General Von Steuben to whip his troops into shape and reorganize the camp by improving sanitary conditions. This meant moving the latrines away from the living quarters.  ‘Nuf’ said on that account!  Next, the officers began working more directly with the troops; requiring them to drill in formation.  This taught the troops to follow orders, which would be valuable in the battle field, and it taught the officers how to give directions to large groups of men to have them work more as a unit.    This would be important in battle when large numbers of troops had to be quickly moved from one location to another.  Above all else, Von Steuben’s methods taught military discipline, something that had been previously lacking amongst the colonists.

     

Source

As a result, the men began to bond as a unit.   This, along with the fact that the troops were getting more food and more military training, what began as a winter where the men were waiting to die, ended with men who were becoming stronger, and better able to fight.

     

Washington was also beginning to realize a quick victory over the British as the only way to win the war was perhaps not the only way.  This came to him as he watched his own troops at Valley Forge that winter become a stronger, more cohesive army. He now thought the longer the war took, the better their chances of winning. It was going to take time for the Americans to become a strong military force.  Perhaps if they could just take it slow and steady, they’d win this race!

    

Everyone knows the conclusion to the Revolutionary War. Washington won the independence of the new nation, and then did the unthinkable -- he laid down his weapons, and gave control of the nation back to the new government of the United States.  This was something that no recent military leader had ever done.
     

Source

What did George learn from all of this?  For one thing, he did indeed find out that slow and steady wins the race.  This little lesson served him well throughout the rest of his life. After the war, he retired to Mount Vernon to become something he had always dreamed of but had not yet achieved a gentlemen farmer.  However, that wasn’t the end of the story.  Within a few years he became, albeit grudgingly, the lead delegate from Virginia at the Constitutional Convention.  His presence at the Convention gave it a stamp of legitimacy.   His cautious, unpretentious persona also gave the other delegates a sense of security.  As our country’s first President, members of Congress knew George was not a power hungry politician who would put his own wants and needs above those of the country. 

What Can We Take From This?

In today’s society, too often we are bombarded by 24/7 news cycles, instant messaging, email; everything comes to us on a momentary basis.  It’s no surprise then that our decision making processes sometimes mirror the same demand of instant accessibility.  Some decisions cannot and should not be made that quickly.  Many times, a more thoughtful debate would serve us better.  Remember, life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon—pace yourself accordingly.

Excerpt from the book Mistakes Happen: An Historical Guide to Overcoming Adversity, available at www.historiesforkids.com or www.amazon.com

So Long 2011, Hello 2012!

Rather than bemoan the fact that this New Year's Eve brings with it (once again) an economy that leaves a lot to be desired, unemployment, clowns running for office, etc., I thought I would be fun (remember fun?) to look at the reasons why we have certain traditions on New Year's  Eve.  Some of them are very interesting.

January 1

The date of our new year in terms of time, is relatively new.  Up until the time of Julius Caesar, the new year began on March 1.  The January 1 date coincided with the date that the Roman governmental figures and new consuls were inducted into office.  The occasion also brought with it games and partying.  Caesar decided to change the date to January to honor the god Janus--the god of all beginnings and the gatekeeper of heaven and earth.  This god was also depicted with two faces.  This was rather apropos for New Years.  One face looking back at the past, the other looking forward to the future.

When emperor Constantine came along and with him Christianity, he decided to keep the date January 1, as opposed to returning it to March 1.  He decided to take it from a day of festivals and merriment, and make it a day of fasting and prayer--a chance for Christians to turn over a new leaf.

However, even as late as 1582, Great Britian and the English colonies in America kept March for the beginning of the year. Perhaps they felt that spring was a better beginning. It wasn't until 1752 that Britain and it's colonies adopted the new Gregorian calendar and January 1 as the beginning of the year. Many Puritans in New England felt the Roman god Janus was a pagan god and chose to ignore January 1 as a New Years Day. Instead they just made the entire month of January as "The First Month" of the months.

Father Time
This symbol of the new year once again has roots in Greek and Roman Mythology.  The Greek god Cronus, known to the Romans as Saturn, god of agriculture, is thought to be the source of the image of the bearded, scythe-carrying old man known as Father Time. Saturn is typically associated with the sowing of seeds and the tilling of the soil.

The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a week-long harvest festival in December, to honor Saturn, and this festival has in many ways influenced Christian tradition. In A.D. 354, when Pope Liberius ordered that Dec. 25 be observed as the birthday of Christ, he cited the precedent of Saturnalia, probably hoping the new holiday would divert attention from the pagan revelry. That’s why the images of Father Time and Father Christmas, and the passing of the old year and the coming of the new have all come to be associated with one another over the centuries.

Scholars now believe that the name Cronus is actually pre-Greek and is not etymologically related to chronos, one of several Greek words for time. But the confusion between Cronus and chronos has probably reinforced the scythe-wielding Father Time image.

Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" the title of a Scottish folk song that many English speaking people sing at midnight on New Year's Eve translates roughly to "days gone by"  Poet Robert Burns has been credited with transcribing
adapting, and partially rewriting the song in the late 18th century.  The lyrics rhetorically ask whether "auld acquaintance"  should be forgot have been interpreted as a call to remember friends and events of the past.

Noisemakers
As far back as 335 AD, New Year’s Eve was  the night of Holy Sylvester, the Pope who converted the Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity.  After the Emperor’s conversion, pagan gods fell from favor but fought back through the souls of the living.  The people protected themselves from their return during the darkness of New Year’s Eve by wandering the streets shouting to strangers, frolicking with noisemakers, and generally acting foolish, a custom that resurfaces every New Year’s Eve.  Sound familiar??

Resolutions
Once again, this goes back to Roman times. ancient Romans.  They took it upon themselves to indulge  in alcoholic and sexual excess as a way of acting out all the chaos that they hoped a new year would get rid of. They reasoned that the New Year's festival was a way to start over. By purging yourself of all this so-called excess energy and confessing your sins, there was a hope that you would be much better in the year ahead.

As time went on, the Puritans never did approve of  this merriment at the New Year.  They instead celebrated the date as a time of religious renewal of cleansing, purging, and fasting.   They encouraged young people not to waste the new year on foolish things but to use it as an opportunity to make a good change in their lives for the good.  They in turn also made New Year's vows or pledges focused on overcoming their own weaknesses and  to enhance their god-given talents and to make them better citizens to others.

The popular idea of making  New Year's Resolutions began during the 20th century.  It was mostly done tongue in cheek with an understanding that they would not be kept--seriously, how many resolutions have you kept over the years?

The resolutions today are  a secular version of the religious vows people made in the past toward spiritual perfection. They are often made with good intentions and broken with a sense of humor and renewed annually.

Champagne
One theory for the consumption of champagne on New Years Eve is that the correct way to open the bottle, by popping the cork, sounds very much like a starter's pistol...a new beginning.  Just a theory, but it makes sense!

As we all look with OPTIMISM toward 2012, let's  hope it brings with it all of the good things we hope for and aspire to in the coming year.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!