Aaron Burr was an American political figure best known for the gun duel that killed Alexander Hamilton. He also served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson. Less well known, however, was Burr’s treasonous conspiracy against the United States.
Any aspirations he had of attaining the presidency ended with Hamilton’s death. However, Burr aimed to create another pathway to power.
April 30, 1803: The Louisiana Purchase was completed. The administration of Thomas Jefferson bought land from France at about four cents per acre for a total of $15 million. With that acquisition, the area later known as the Plains States became American territory - from Louisiana north through northern Texas and along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains up to Montana. The full turnover of the region was completed one year later.
Thomas Jefferson never trusted his Vice President, Aaron Burr, and rarely let him in on the administration’s work. But Burr sought power and glory by other means.
Burr conceived an idea on how to turn the newly-acquired territory into its own sovereign state separate from the country that had just purchased it. And he envisioned himself as its new leader.
The flat lands in the middle of the continent were sparsely populated (except of course by Native Americans) but the white men who resided there spoke of secession. Burr played on that idea and traveled throughout the Louisiana Territory to bolster support for such a movement.
But Burr couldn’t act alone. So he turned to an old friend from the Revolutionary War.
General James Wilkinson led the US Army. He was known to be self-assured, egotistical, unethical, and a drunk. In early 1804, Burr persuaded President Jefferson to assign Wilkinson to the new region as its governor.
July 11, 1804: Burr, the sitting Vice President of the United States, was wanted for murder after shooting Alexander Hamilton. He escaped to Georgia. Not long thereafter, though, Burr returned to his duties as Vice President. Although New Jersey indicted him for the killing, Burr never stood trial.
When Jefferson ran for his second term, Burr was dumped from the ticket. He ended his role as Vice President in 1805.
That didn’t stop Burr. He continued his quest to get the Louisiana Territory to secede. He rallied support among local officials and militias.
Burr and Wilkinson devised a scheme of attacking Texas, which was under the Mexican flag, in the name of the United States. Once conquered, Burr would then declare himself the ruler of the new territory west of the Mississippi River. Details of the plan were outlined in what became known as the Cipher Letter.
After setting out from the east toward New Orleans, Burr was detained in Kentucky. Newspapers across the country had written about the secession scheme, and Burr was put on trial for treason. He was acquitted and continued his journey south.
December 1806: General Wilkinson turned against Burr to save himself. He wrote to President Jefferson and admitted the conspiracy.
Burr traveled down the Mississippi toward New Orleans unaware of Wilkinson’s betrayal and met up with a militia force of only 100 men, far fewer supporters than he expected. Nonetheless, he took them off to his planned attack against Texas.
On his arrival, Burr was arrested. He escaped. The former Vice President of the United States was on the lam.
He was recaptured and sent to Virginia to stand trial for treason.
A sensational trial ensued, and the prosecution entered the Cipher Letter into evidence. That and Wilkinson’s admission seemed to seal Burr’s fate. Yet once again, he was acquitted.
The general public, however, had made up its mind about the former Vice President. His likeness was hung in effigy, and he was unwelcome wherever he went. So he left the country for Europe.
Even then, Burr tried to persuade the English to back his scheme to create a new nation in the Louisiana Territory with him as leader. No one supported him.
With the War of 1812, Burr returned to the US and lived to the age of 80.
Despite his well-documented acts of treason, as well as the murder of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr was never convicted of any crimes.
He spent the remaining 24 years of his life in New York City making a prosperous living as a lawyer.
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