Founding and Wounding Fathers

Ron Chernow talked to a well-behaved crowd of 750 at the Virginia Historical Society tonight about Alexander Hamilton. He said the editor of Hamilton's papers, 29,000 pages of them, at Columbia was tempted to dedicate the project to Aaron Burr, without whose help he could never have finished.

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Stephen Vincent Benét:

For Aaron Burr was bold and bad
—Or else a deeply injured lad—
And all his deeds were false and sly—
—Or someone's told a whopping lie.

He shot great Hamilton, 'tis true.
(He had some provocation, too.)
And as Vice-President he sat
(But men are seldom hanged for that.)