Aaron Burr Book Report
As a man known almost exclusively for a duel with another forgotten founder, the life of Aaron Burr is grossly misrepresented and skewed by both politicians in his time and historians after his death. Nancy Isenberg, a historian and professor, takes up the task of scrubbing the stain from Burr’s name. She produces a biography telling the true story of Burr, not the one told by his opponents. Aaron Burr was born to a wealthy and respected family in 1756, but before the age of three, he lost his grandparents and his parents. He was taken in by an uncle into a bustling household where he competed with his now numerous siblings. Burr studied hard and worked to be admitted to college early, but was denied at age 11. He was taken in at 13, however, and Burr thrived in school, both inside the classroom and out. He was involved in a few clubs and formed lasting bonds with other males in his
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She sets out in this book to tell the true story of Burr, as a dedicated soldier, an active politician, and occasionally as an innocent bystander to the mischief of his enemies. She shows us that Burr was not just the man who shot Alexander Hamilton and was tried for treason, he was much more. Isenberg is very passionate about her subject, which makes for an interesting read. However, this leads to a tremendous amount of bias on her part. She defends Burr fiercely, occasionally even assuming the thoughts and motives behind actions of other figures with not much grounds. Isenberg also often compares Burr with Hamilton, highlighting Burr’s accomplishments and pointedly exhibiting Hamilton’s faults. The book occasionally reads less as a biography on Burr, and more as solely an attack on Alexander Hamilton’s character. In the end, Nancy Isenberg does achieve her goal in shedding light on who Aaron Burr truly was, but not without forcing readers to take some sections of her book with a grain of
She sets out in this book to tell the true story of Burr, as a dedicated soldier, an active politician, and occasionally as an innocent bystander to the mischief of his enemies. She shows us that Burr was not just the man who shot Alexander Hamilton and was tried for treason, he was much more. Isenberg is very passionate about her subject, which makes for an interesting read. However, this leads to a tremendous amount of bias on her part. She defends Burr fiercely, occasionally even assuming the thoughts and motives behind actions of other figures with not much grounds. Isenberg also often compares Burr with Hamilton, highlighting Burr’s accomplishments and pointedly exhibiting Hamilton’s faults. The book occasionally reads less as a biography on Burr, and more as solely an attack on Alexander Hamilton’s character. In the end, Nancy Isenberg does achieve her goal in shedding light on who Aaron Burr truly was, but not without forcing readers to take some sections of her book with a grain of