Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character.
Watson, Robert P.
Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character. By Roger G.
Kennedy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 476 pp. $30.00 cloth.
Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson is a comparative biography of three
of the most fascinating and important figures in U.S. history. The
author, Roger Kennedy, a former director of both the National Park
Service and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of
American History and author of several books, proves himself to be a
capable historian with a flair for drama in this highly readable and
intriguing book.
The book is essentially a story of the founding of the country, as
told through the egos, ambitions, and political escapades (and schemes)
of its Founders. Kennedy extends the renewed interest in presidential
character to the Founders, offering analysis of the actions of the three
giants named in the title of the book. Because the political experiences
and alliances of Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson often ran either parallel
to, or in opposition of, one another, there are multiple frames of
reference presented. Functioning as part historian, part detective, and
part psychologist, Kennedy explores the words, deeds, and even the
feelings of his three subjects.
He finds the competition--even hatred--that occurred between Burr
and his two better-known contemporaries as explaining the actions of his
subjects, so the three are assessed interdependently. All three emerge
as gifted but flawed visionaries and intelligent yet ruthlessly
ambitious leaders.
Another theme of the book is the legacy of Aaron Burr, and the
author devotes much energy to reviving Burr's tarnished image. This
is done, at times, more by tearing down Jefferson and Hamilton than
resuscitating Burr, and the author downplays their contributions.
Indeed, Jefferson and Hamilton both come up short in the author's
test of character, as Kennedy presents a litany of charges and examples
of inconsistencies that he sees as failures in the characters and
actions of our first secretary of state and first secretary of the
treasury.
While Kennedy admits his bias for the underdog and his sympathies
for Burr are at times a bit too transparent, his analysis of Burr's
character and the events surrounding the nation's founding are both
fresh and thorough. The fact that Burr has been seen largely as
unprincipled, a traitor to his nation, and the man who killed Alexander
Hamilton is, to Kennedy, an injustice and misrepresents the importance
of Burr. Here the reader is reminded of Burr's progressive views on
the abolition of slavery and his impressive military career as well as
his less well known support of women's equality and the American
Indian. Burr's marginalized reputation is, to the author, a product
of Burr's failure to defend himself, his refusal to engage in
self-promotion and public displays of morality (unlike his antagonists),
bad luck and repeated failure to capitalize on opportunities, and the
loss of his beloved and learned daughter along with much of his
papers--factors that would have defended his memory--at sea.
Kennedy's Burr is a tragic figure but possesses much more
integrity than Hamilton or Jefferson. However, the fact that he ran
afoul of two of country's most celebrated heroes sealed his legacy
and destined him to the role of villain. Lost to public examination are
the details behind Burr's grand political campaigns in the frontier
and the accusations of treason leveled at him by President Jefferson. On
these matters, Kennedy comes to Burr's defense and makes one of the
strongest cases yet against Jefferson's charges that brought Burr
to trial.
The book is provocative and should rekindle interest in an array of
topics, from Jefferson's complicity in extending slavery while
pondering its inconsistencies to Hamilton's unsteady, even volatile
personality. The notion that Hamilton, in effect, committed suicide in
undertaking his famous duel against Aaron Burr in 1804 is presented in
convincing fashion and with a new perspective. This is but one facet of
the book that invites controversy but also makes the book a must-read
for presidential scholars and historians of the early Republic.
Kennedy demonstrates an impressive breadth of knowledge in this
ambitious and well-written comparative biography. It is a book that is
sure to attract attention and controversy. Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson
is written for scholars of American history, as the author makes
numerous assumptions about the reader's intimacy with the subject
matter that will limit the book's appeal to a wider audience.
Readers will have to make up their own minds regarding the book's
presentation of Burr as the rightful heir to Hamilton's mantle
opposite Jefferson in the annals of the country's founding. But
Kennedy certainly succeeds in presenting a unique and thought-provoking
examination of his subjects.
--Robert P. Watson
University of Hawaii, Hilo
