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Article: DON'T JUDGE HIS HEART.(Review) (book review)
- Article from:
- Harper's Magazine
- Article date:
- August 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Harper's Magazine Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Is our notion of the Founding Fathers' "characters" relevant material for history?
Discussed in this essay:
Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character, by Roger G. Kennedy. Oxford University Press. 476 pages. $30.
Roger G. Kennedy's latest book is subtitled "A Study in Character," but it is also a study in historical reputation. Kennedy's aim is to shock received opinion by rehabilitating Aaron Burr while simultaneously and necessarily derogating from the reputations of Burr's two most prominent political enemies, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. His is an advocate's case, argued with passion and, I think, some justice, but it ...