Alexander Ellis '' The Interview At Weehawken'

139 Words1 Pages
On July 11, 1804, the most famous duel in American history took place between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, then the Vice President of the United States. Ellis first relates the most common version of the duel story, which states that, in accordance with the rules or customs of code duello, Hamilton and Burr shot at one another from a distance of ten paces on the plains of Weehawken, NJ. Hamilton was mortally wounded, and died the next day. Burr, although unharmed, could never recover his political standing afterwards. Ellis concludes that although this version of “the interview at Weehawken” is historically accurate, it is also too brief. In order to understand the true significance and aftermath of the duel, one must first consider