Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Historical Question: “How Could a Vice President Get Away with Murder?”

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question

1. What event led Aaron Burr to challenge Alexander Hamilton to a duel in 1804?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. In June 1804, Burr learned about a newspaper article that described how Hamilton believed Burr “ought not be trusted with the reins of government.” The fact that a private conflict between two political leaders had now become public knowledge angered Burr, especially because he believed that the newspaper article was the reason he had lost the election for governor of New York. After Hamilton refused to recant his comment, Burr challenged him to a duel.
Incorrect. The answer is b. In June 1804, Burr learned about a newspaper article that described how Hamilton believed Burr “ought not be trusted with the reins of government.” The fact that a private conflict between two political leaders had now become public knowledge angered Burr, especially because he believed that the newspaper article was the reason he had lost the election for governor of New York. After Hamilton refused to recant his comment, Burr challenged him to a duel.

Question

2. How did Northerners and Southerners respond differently to the news of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton’s illegal duel in 1804?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is a. The response to the duel, and to the legality of dueling in general, was sharply divided along sectional lines. Dueling had recently been criminalized in many northern states, and in the years that followed Hamilton and Burr’s duel, dueling became extremely rare in the North. By contrast, Southerners continued to embrace dueling as an acceptable extralegal practice in cases of insults to honor. There is no evidence in this essay that any southern states had criminalized dueling before 1804.
Incorrect. The answer is a. The response to the duel, and to the legality of dueling in general, was sharply divided along sectional lines. Dueling had recently been criminalized in many northern states, and in the years that followed Hamilton and Burr’s duel, dueling became extremely rare in the North. By contrast, Southerners continued to embrace dueling as an acceptable extralegal practice in cases of insults to honor. There is no evidence in this essay that any southern states had criminalized dueling before 1804.

Question

3. On what grounds did the senate Republicans argue that Aaron Burr’s indictment for murder should be dropped by the state of New Jersey?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. The Republicans in the Senate argued that “civilized nations” like the United States simply did not treat deaths by dueling in the same way as “common murders,” and therefore Burr should not be indicted for murder. This statement illustrates the idea of gentlemanly honor that surrounded dueling in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which understood the duel as a ritual to redress offenses to honor. Such sentiments, however, were fading in the North by 1804, resulting in the criminalization of dueling in many northern states.
Incorrect. The answer is c. The Republicans in the Senate argued that “civilized nations” like the United States simply did not treat deaths by dueling in the same way as “common murders,” and therefore Burr should not be indicted for murder. This statement illustrates the idea of gentlemanly honor that surrounded dueling in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which understood the duel as a ritual to redress offenses to honor. Such sentiments, however, were fading in the North by 1804, resulting in the criminalization of dueling in many northern states.

Question

4. On what grounds were duels fought in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, as illustrated by the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. Burr and Hamilton’s duel illustrates the culture surrounding dueling in the early Republic: dueling functioned as a highly ritualized extralegal method for redressing an insult to a gentleman’s honor. Dueling was the domain of men, not women, and of southerners more frequently than northerners, especially by the 1820s.
Incorrect. The answer is d. Burr and Hamilton’s duel illustrates the culture surrounding dueling in the early Republic: dueling functioned as a highly ritualized extralegal method for redressing an insult to a gentleman’s honor. Dueling was the domain of men, not women, and of southerners more frequently than northerners, especially by the 1820s.

Question

5. What does the story of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton’s duel suggest about early American masculine culture?

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B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. The duel between Burr and Hamilton provides an excellent illustration of the significance of honor, and retribution of offenses to one’s honor, in early American masculine culture. Fastidiously protecting one’s honor—particularly against offenses printed in public spaces, such as in newspapers—was extremely important, particularly to men with social status and men in the South.
Incorrect. The answer is b. The duel between Burr and Hamilton provides an excellent illustration of the significance of honor, and retribution of offenses to one’s honor, in early American masculine culture. Fastidiously protecting one’s honor—particularly against offenses printed in public spaces, such as in newspapers—was extremely important, particularly to men with social status and men in the South.