MONDAY, JULY 11, 2022, BURR - HAMILTON DUEL

 MONDAY, JULY 11, 2022 BURR/HAMILTON DUEL

On July 11, 1804, in one of the most famous duels in American history, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shot his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy died the following day.”

We all have our egos - and these two founding fathers seemed to have big egos!! 

Hamilton and Burr had an acrimonious relationship that dated to 1791, when Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law, Gen. Philip John Schuyler, for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Burr incurred the enmity of Hamilton, who subsequently tried to thwart his political aspirations on numerous occasions

“A notable example occurred during the 1800 presidential election, in which Burr was Thomas Jefferson’s vice presidential running mate on the Democratic-Republican ticket. Due to quirks in the election process, Burr tied with Jefferson in the electoral college vote, and he chose to vie with Jefferson for the top office. As a result of Hamilton’s influence on his fellow Federalists, however, Burr lost. He became vice president but was marginalized by Jefferson. In an attempt to revitalize his political career—it had become clear he would not be renominated for vice president—Burr switched parties and sought the nomination as the Federalist candidate for governor of New York in early 1804. Again, Hamilton used his influence to block the ambitions of Burr, who subsequently ran as an independent and lost badly in April 1804.”

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There have to be good reasons to have a duel.  Take your guns, stand back-to-back and walk off twenty paces, and shoot.  The winner survives, and the loser dies.

Yes - these two didn’t agree.  Yes - these two harassed each other (in my quick read, it seems like Hamilton “had” it out for Burr). The country was big.  They could have arm-wrestled to determine a winner, they could have drawn cards, and they could have tried “rock, paper, scissors” to find a winner.  Death is permanent.  (And, life always leads to death).

In my reading this week, I’ve read something on “Are you offendable?”  Can I be offended enough to want to fight, to want to shoot a person in a duel?  On the surface, I say “nope”, I’m not that offendable - but I’m not in a situation where I “have” to defend myself.  

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My research brought me to the Kenny Rogers song - “The Coward of the County:

Everyone considered him the coward of the county

He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong

His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him Yellow

But something always told me, they were reading Tommy wrong

He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison

I looked after Tommy, 'cause he was my brother's son

I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy

"Son, my life is over, but yours has just begun"

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done

Walk away from trouble if you can

Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek

I hope you're old enough to understand

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"

There's someone for everyone and Tommy's love was Becky

In her arms, he didn't have to prove he was a man

One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling

They took turns at Becky an' there was three of them

Tommy opened up the door and saw Becky crying

The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand

He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture

As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again

"Promise me, Son, not to do the things I've done

Walk away from trouble if you can

Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek

I hope you're old enough to understand

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room

One of them got up and met him half way cross the floor

When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! Old Yellow's leaving"

But you could've heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door

Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him

He wasn't holding nothing back, he let 'em have it all

When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing

He said, "This one's for Becky", as he watched the last one fall

And I heard him say

"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you've done

I walk away from trouble when I can

Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek

And Papa, I should hope you understand

Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"

Everyone considered him the coward of the county

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So, is there a time you MUST STAND UP for your beliefs - even if that would bring on your death?  Was it such a time for Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton - to have a duel to “prove” who was the better man?  Did the outcome justify that Burr was the better man?  Was Burr’s honor upheld by the duel?

I wasn’t in the military.  I don’t own a gun, I’ve never shot anybody.  Might there be a time when I have to?  

If there was a time when a trio like the Gatlin boys in the “Coward of the County” song that are raping your spouse, or raping my beautiful granddaughters that might push me over the edge?  

In the song, they use the phrase “turn the other cheek”.  To me, that is a spiritual statement.  Can I turn away from revenge? OR … might there be a time someday when I MUST STAND UP for my beliefs?  

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I’m going to die someday.  Should it be of natural causes or should it be defending my honor or the honor of my family?  If a gunman was pointing his gun at my head, I might say “Go ahead and shoot”.  But, if the gunman was pointing his gun at my grandchildren, would I say “spare their lives and shoot me”?

Last week I watched part of the first Star Wars movie.  In it, Obi-Wan Kenobi fights Darth Vader so Luke, Hans, and Leia can get away.  He gave up his life for others. 

Would I lay down my life for another person?  Would I turn the other cheek?

(I’m not sure).

Karen

July 11, 2022