
Burr conspiracy - vinnyglennon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_conspiracy
======
antognini
It's not mentioned in the Wikipedia article, but Burr's trial for treason was
the earliest legal case in the United States questioning whether a defendant
can be compelled to decrypt their documents. In Burr's case his secretary knew
his encryption keys and because the secretary was not a defendant, it was
ruled that the secretary could be compelled to divulge them.

Here are a few articles about it:

[http://volokh.com/posts/1198712224.shtml](http://volokh.com/posts/1198712224.shtml)

[https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2016/03/19/tim-
coo...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2016/03/19/tim-cook-meet-
aaron-burr-why-the-encryption-fight-is-as-old-as-the-
constitution/#2e09502213d7)

[http://jolt.richmond.edu/files/2017/02/David-Ries-
Background...](http://jolt.richmond.edu/files/2017/02/David-Ries-Background-
Materials.pdf)

------
tribune
The fact that this conspiracy was likely real lends importance to Hamilton's
self-sacrifice in the famous duel. There were two possible outcomes of the
fight. 1) Hamilton kills Burr, eliminating him, or 2) Burr (the sitting Vice
President!) kills him, thereby discrediting himself as a political figure.
Killing a man, even in 1804, and especially as Vice President, would not
simply blow over. Hamilton knew this. He won the duel in spirit before it
began.

Hamilton's career was essentially over due to the Reynolds Affair, but facing
Burr was his final act to serve his country. A fascinating bit of history
indeed.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel)

~~~
jdoliner
I don't think Hamilton was quite thinking of the duel as a way to stop this
plot. For one thing the timeline doesn't quite match up there, the duel
happened in 1804, the conspiracy seems to not have come to light until 1806.
Maybe Hamilton was aware of it before, but I haven't seen much evidence of
that. My understanding is that it was more the other way around, killing
Hamilton discredited Burr as a public figure and the only option he had left
to hang on to power was to essentially create his own country that he could be
President of. It was quite ill-conceived and accomplished nothing but his
arrest.

That being said, Hamilton did know going into the duel that Burr would
permanently mar his reputation if he slayed him, Hamilton. And thought that
this would keep him safe. There is a 3rd option in duels, which is both people
shooting into the air, maintaining their honor without casualty. This was
actually the most common outcome of dueling at the time, though reading
history it's easy to get the opposite impression. Duels that end with pistols
to the sky don't get discussed as much. But Hamilton was in many duels leading
up to the Burr deal that ended that way.

~~~
Bluestrike2
The process was known as deloping ("throwing away"),[0] and normally involved
firing a round into the ground. Hamilton's second claimed he deliberately
fired into the air, while Burr's second claimed Hamilton fired at Burr and
missed.[1] There's really no clear answer, unfortunately, and Hamilton's use
of pistols with hair triggers could have played a role as well. Hamilton did
write in a statement prior to the duel that he'd delope if possible:

> ... I have resolved, if our interview is conducted in the usual manner, and
> it pleases God to give me the opportunity, to reserve and throw away my
> first fire, and I have thoughts even of reserving my second fire—and thus
> giving a double opportunity to Col Burr to pause and to reflect.[2]

Firing into the air rather than the ground would involve moving your pistol in
a manner that would clearly appear as if you intending to fire on your
opponent. On the other hand, his death at Burr's hands certainly gave Hamilton
the "brilliant exit" he'd admired for years.[2] Plus, if Hamilton wanted to
ensure Burr's destruction after his death, his statement couldn't have been
better written. Society would have shunned Burr regardless, but the statement
all but guaranteed it would view him with the deepest of contempt.

0\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deloping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deloping)

1\. [https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burr-slays-
hamil...](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burr-slays-hamilton-in-
duel)

1\.
[https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-26-02-00...](https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-26-02-0001-0241)

2\. [http://www.historynet.com/hamilton-burr-
duel.htm](http://www.historynet.com/hamilton-burr-duel.htm)

------
shroom
I’ve been absolutly fascinated by this story and happenings of the time after
listening to the Hamilton musical music. Also epic music which I can recommend
to everyone.

~~~
fsloth
Hamilton is a rare piece of music that is musically wonderfull, and
impressively cerebral at the same time. The only musical that comes close is
Jesus Christ Superstar, and it loses (in my books). A hip hop musical that won
a pulitzer - and it's firing on all cylinders musically and in literary form
the whole time.

Lin Manuel Miranda worried for years for individual pieces and you can hear
it. Several pieces are near perfect and I could listen it over and over.

Hamilton himself as a historical character is unebelievable. It is an
astounding story however you look at it. A - in the literate sense - a poor
bastard born in the middle of nowhere in Caribia ends up one of the founders
of the greatest political experiments of his time.

While his endeavours lacked mathematical and scientific output he is actually
the prototypical historical super geek. He was a product of englightenment and
book printing. He engorged himself on the literature of the time and deviced
systems in his head which he then implemented with great vigour. While
obviously skimping on historical details, the musical celebrates this victory
of pure gumption again and again while not forgetting the critical human
weaknesses of his character

~~~
pbourke
I think it may be remembered as one of the most notable artistic works of the
21st century. It’s seriously that good.

------
hprotagonist
One of the weirder episodes of early American history -- which is saying
something!

Burr's trial set the precedent for an extraordinarily high evidentary bar for
a treason conviction -- which, in the long run, turns out to have been an
Amazingly Good Thing.

------
billfruit
Just having read Gore Vidal's 'Burr', I get the impression that Jefferson was
acting against Burr(Writing to Congress that Burr was a traitor, before the
trial had begun), with personal vendetta.The trial was almost a disaster for
Jefferson with the chief witness for the prosecution Gen Wilkinson only
averting indictment for treason only by a very thin margin, and by Wilkinson's
tampering of the letters of Burr gave the impression that the government was
trying to frame Burr.

------
chiefalchemist
I know this will be down voted but...

Given today's media climate I would love to read Burr's tweets. I pray the
resulting outrage leads to porn stars and opportunists selling books.

The more things (i.e., politics) change, the more they stay the same. Funny
eh.

------
mkempe
Is this intended to be an allusion to the alleged Comey-Clapper-Clinton
conspiracy?

~~~
dvtrn
Not to give credence to such a conspiracy by asking, I'm just curious to an
almost sordid degree...but _what_? Is this a thing people actually think
is...well a thing?

~~~
googlemike
What is this conspiracy? First I've heard of it.

~~~
adventured
It's apparently being pushed as a premise in conservative circles:

[http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/20/comeys-memos-indicate-
do...](http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/20/comeys-memos-indicate-dossier-
briefing-of-trump-was-a-setup/)

[https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-watchdog-
pro...](https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-watchdog-probes-comey-
memos-over-classified-information-1524243505)

