Aaron Burr was the third vice-president of the United States of America and served from 1801 to 1805. Originally, Burr was running for the U.S. presidency in 1800 but became the country’s vice-president instead. He was born in Newark on February 6, 1756 in a family whose men had been active in politics for generations. Aaron Burr’s father had been the President of the College of New Jersey and was a presbyterian minister.
Unfortunately, Aaron lost both of his parents at a young age, so he lived with his sister at a wealthy maternal uncle’s home while growing up. He enrolled in the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) at only age 13 and graduated three years later. When the Revolutionary War began, he paused his studies at the Litchfield Law School in Connecticut and joined the army as one of Benedict Arnold’s soldiers. He went on an expedition to Quebec and soon earned the rank of major. He was the one chosen to serve and protect George Washington in his home in New York before he retired from the army in 1779.
Burr continued his studies in law from 1780 and became a practicing licensed attorney in 1782. He opened a private practice in Albany, New York, and spent the next few years until 1788 practicing law. In 1789, he was chosen as the attorney general of New York.
When Burr won against General Philip Schuyler for a seat in the U.S. Senate, it fueled the rivalry of Alexander Hamilton. When Burr lost the re-election after serving six years in the senate, he blamed Hamilton for turning the public against him.
Burr ran for the presidency with Thomas Jefferson, but each candidate received the same number of votes. This allowed the House of Representatives to make the final decision in which Hamilton supported Jefferson and showed his disapproval of Burr. Jefferson eventually won, making Burr believe that Hamilton’s words had turned the number of votes against his favor.
They dueled in 1804, and Aaron Burr was victorious in the duel as his shot fatally injured Hamilton. This turned the public against him, and he became involved in a case of high misdemeanor and conspiracy. Not much later, in 1807, Aaron Burr was arrested and tried, which ended his political career. The courts later acquitted Aaron Burr, but people did not trust him or his judgment anymore.
Nevertheless, he was a brilliantly clever and wise politician who left behind a world of knowledge and inspirational sayings that we have compiled in this article.
Here Are Some of the Most Inspirational Aaron Burr Quotes
1.”I am the only thing in my liege I can control. I am inimitable; I am an original.” – Aaron Burr
2.”In New York, I am to be disenfranchised, and in New Jersey hanged. You will not…conclude that I have become disposed to submit tamely to the machinations of a banditti.” – Aaron Burr
3.”Law is whatever is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained.” – Aaron Burr
4.”Let the Judge take care to find a seat for himself.” – Aaron Burr
5.”Never do today what you can do tomorrow. Something may occur to make you regret your premature action.” – Aaron Burr
6.”Slander has slain more than the sword.” – Aaron Burr
7.”Talk less, smile more.” – Aaron Burr
8.”The rule of my life is to make business a pleasure and pleasure my business.” – Aaron Burr
9.”Things written, remain.” – Aaron Burr
10.”We cannot control necessity, though we often persuade ourselves that certain things are our choice when in truth we have been unavoidably impelled to them.” – Aaron Burr
11.”When a man takes time to consider whether he will do a good or civil action, be assured he will never do it. The baser feelings, the calculations of interest and timidity, always prevail.” – Aaron Burr
12.”Would to God that I did stand on the same ground with every other man! This is the first time that I have been permitted to enjoy the rights of a citizen.” – Aaron Burr
13.”I live my life as I deem appropriate and fitting; I offer no apologies, no explanations.” – Aaron Burr
14.”Error often is to be preferred to indecision.” – Aaron Burr
15.”Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done.” – Aaron Burr
16.”Fools who run their mouth off wind up dead.”– Aaron Burr
17.”Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today.” – Aaron Burr
18.”Let the Judge take care to find a seat for himself.” – Aaron Burr
19.”Go West, young man.”– Aaron Burr
The Life and Times of Aaron Burr, Hamilton’s Nemesis
Soldier, attorney, vice-president Aaron Burr is often seen as a villain of early American history, but historians have revisited his legacy in the last twenty years. The life and forgotten history of Aaron Burr deserve to be remembered.
Aaron Burr Quotes Summary
Aaron Burr was a deeply intelligent politician and lawyer and became the third vice-president of the United States owing to his wit and shrewdness. He became the vice-president in Thomas Jefferson’s term after he lost to him due to the voting of the House of Representatives. He was a lawyer and even served in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. Although he faced a case of treason, he was acquitted in the trial and deemed not guilty. His rivalry with Alexander Hamilton brought about his downfall, but he is still revered as an important figure in American history.
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Image Credits:
Image Credit – Jacques Jouvenal (1829 – 1905), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image Credit – Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image Credit – William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library. Digital image from American Memory, Library of Congress., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image Credit – Fom the New York Historical Society, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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