Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Judith St. George

The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Judith St. George describes the lives of two powerful men in US history, and the events that lead up to their duel. Both men had similar stories - they were orphaned at an early age, they were both very smart and personable, both studied law, both entered the army during the Revolutionary War, both entered politics and lived in New York City and Philadelphia, and both grew to know and dislike one another. So, at dawn, on July 11, 1804, they met in Weehawken, New Jersey, to duel. When the duel was over, one man was dead and the other had to go into hiding (dueling was illegal).

This was a GREAT book! I had never heard of this duel! I didn't know that Aaron Burr was the vice president under Thomas Jefferson! This book was more like an action/adventure story than a page out of history. This is they way I like to learn about our country - through people's stories.

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