Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for a single violent act, the fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel in New Jersey on July 11, 1804. But Burr was also involved in a number of other controversial episodes, including one of the most disputed elections in American history and a peculiar expedition to the western territories that resulted in Burr being tried for treason. Burr is a puzzling figure in history. He has often been portrayed as a scoundrel, a political manipulator, and a notorious womanizer. Yet during his long life Burr had many followers who considered him a brilliant thinker and a gifted politician. His considerable skills allowed him to prosper in a law practice, win a seat in the U.S. Senate, and nearly attain the presidency in a startling feat of deft political gamesmanship. After 200 years, Burr’s complicated life remains contradictory. Was he a villain, or simply a misunderstood victim of hardball politics? Early Life of Aaron Burr Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, a famous theologian of the colonial period, and his father was a minister. Young Aaron was precocious, and entered the College of New Jersey (present day Princeton University) at the age of 13. In the family tradition, Burr studied theology before becoming more interested in the study of law. Aaron Burr in the Revolutionary War When the American Revolution broke out, the young Burr obtained a letter of introduction to George Washington, and requested an officers commission in the Continental Army. Washington turned him down, but Burr enlisted in the Army anyway, and served with some distinction in a military expedition to Quebec, Canada. Burr did later serve on Washington’s staff. He was charming and intelligent, but clashed with Washington’s more reserved style. In ill health, Burr resigned his commission as a colonel in 1779, before the end of the Revolutionary War. He then turned his full attention to the study of the law. Burrs Personal Life As a young officer Burr began a romantic affair in 1777 with Theodosia Prevost, who was 10  years older than Burr and also married to a British officer. When her husband died in 1781, Burr married Theodosia. In 1783 they had a daughter, also named Theodosia, to whom Burr was very devoted. Burr’s wife died in 1794. Accusations always swirled that he was involved with a number of other women during his marriage. Early Political Career Burr began his law practice in Albany, New York before moving to New York City to practice law in 1783. He prospered in the city, and established numerous connections that would prove useful in his political career. In the 1790s Burr advanced in New York politics. During this period of tension between the ruling Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, Burr tended not to align himself too much with either side. He was thus able to present himself as something of a compromise candidate. In 1791, Burr had won a seat in the U.S. Senate by defeating Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker who happened to be the father in law of Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had already been adversaries, but Burr’s victory in that election caused Hamilton to hate him. As a senator, Burr generally opposed the programs of Hamilton, who was serving as secretary of the treasury. Burrs Controversial Role in the Deadlocked Election of 1800 Burr was the running mate of Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800. Jefferson’s opponent was the incumbent president, John Adams. When the electoral vote produced a deadlock, the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. In the prolonged balloting, Burr  utilized his considerable political skills and nearly pulled off the feat of bypassing Jefferson and gathering enough votes to win the presidency for himself. Jefferson finally won after days of balloting. And in accordance with the Constitution at the time, Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Jefferson thus had a vice president he didn’t trust, and he gave Burr virtually nothing to do in the job. Following the crisis, the Constitution was amended so the scenario of the 1800 election could not occur again. Burr was not nominated to run with Jefferson again in 1804. Aaron Burr and the Duel With Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been conducting a feud since Burr’s election to the Senate more than 10  years earlier, but Hamilton’s attacks on Burr became more intense in early 1804. The bitterness reached its climax when Burr and Hamilton fought a duel. On the morning of July 11, 1804 the men rowed across the Hudson River from New York City to a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey. Accounts of the actual duel have always differed, but the result was that both men fired their pistols. Hamilton’s shot did not strike Burr. Burrs shot struck Hamilton in the torso, inflicting a fatal wound. Hamilton was brought back to New York City and died the next day. Aaron Burr was portrayed as a villain. He fled and  actually went into hiding for a time, as he feared being charged with murder. Burrs Expedition to the West The once-promising political career of Aaron Burr had been stalled while he served as vice president, and the duel with Hamilton effectively ended any chance he may have had for political redemption. In 1805 and 1806 Burr plotted with others to create an empire consisting of the Mississippi Valley, Mexico, and much of the American West. The bizarre plan had little chance for success, and Burr was charged with treason against the United States. At a trial in Richmond, Virginia, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, Burr was acquitted. While a free man, his career was in ruins, and he moved to Europe for several years. Burr eventually returned to New York City and worked at a modest law practice. His beloved daughter Theodosia was lost in a shipwreck in 1813, which further depressed him. In financial ruin, he died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80, while living with a relative on Staten Island in New York City. Portrait of Aaron Burr courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Radial Symmetry in Marine Life

Radial Symmetry in Marine Life Radial symmetry is the regular arrangement of body parts around a central axis. Definition of Symmetry First, we should define symmetry. Symmetry is the arrangement of body parts so they can be divided equally along an imaginary line or axis. In marine life, the two main types of symmetry are bilateral symmetry  and radial symmetry, although there are some organisms that exhibit biradial symmetry (e.g., ctenophores) or asymmetry (e.g., sponges). Definition of Radial Symmetry When an organism is radially symmetrical, you could cut from one side of the organism through the center to the other side, anywhere on the organism, and this cut would produce two equal halves. Think of a pie: no matter which way you slice it, if you slice from one side to the other through the center, youll end up with equal halves. You can continue slicing the pie to end up with any number of equal-sized pieces. Thus, the pieces of this pie  radiate  out from the central point.   You can apply the same slicing demonstration to a sea anemone. If you draw an imaginary line across the top of a sea anemone starting at any one point, that would divide it into roughly equal halves. Pentaradial Symmetry Echinoderms like sea stars, sand dollars, and sea urchins exhibit a five-part symmetry called pentaradial symmetry. With pentaradial symmetry, the body can be divided into 5 equal parts, so any one of five slices taken out of the organism would be equal.    In the feather star shown in the image, you can see five distinctive branches radiating from the stars central disk. Biradial Symmetry Animals with biradial symmetry show a combination of radial and bilateral symmetry. A biradially symmetrical organism can be divided into four parts along a central plane but each of the parts is equal to the part on the opposite side but not the part on its adjacent side. Characteristics of Radially Symmetrical Animals Radially symmetrical animals have a top and bottom but dont have a front or back or distinctive left and right sides.   They also have a side with a mouth, called the oral side, and a side without the mouth called the aboral side.   These animals typically can move in all directions.   You can contrast this to bilaterally symmetrical organisms like humans, seals or whales, who usually move forward or backward and have a well-defined front, back and right and left sides. While radially symmetrical organisms can move easily in all directions, they may move slowly, if at all. Jellyfish primarily drift with waves and currents, sea stars move relatively slowly compared to most bilaterally symmetrical animals, and sea anemones barely move at all.   Rather than a centralized nervous system, radially symmetrical organisms have sensory structures scattered around their body.   Sea stars, for example, have eyespots at the end of each of their arms, rather than in a head region. One advantage of radial symmetry is that it may make it easier for organisms to regenerate lost body parts. Sea stars, for example, can regenerate a lost arm or even an entirely new body as long as a portion of their central disk is still present.   Examples of Marine Animals With Radial Symmetry Marine animals that exhibit radial symmetry include: Coral polypsJellyfishSea anemonesSea urchins References and Further Information: Morrissey, J.F. and J.L.  Sumich. 2012. Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life (10th Edition). Jones Bartlett Learning. 467pp.University of California Museum of Paleontology.  Bilateral (left/right) Symmetry. Understanding Evolution. Accessed February 28, 2016.