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Article: An affair of honor: in the summer of 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel. To this day, no one knows who fired the first shot. (American History).
- Article from:
- Junior Scholastic
- Article date:
- November 29, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Scholastic, Inc. 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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Imagine Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Joseph Lieberman debating on the Senate floor. The debate becomes heated, and tempers flare. Finally, one man challenges the other, to a duel. Both step outside, load their pistols, and await the command to fire.
Until the mid-1800s, duels, or "affairs of honor," were common. They arose from disputes, false claims, and insults. Men issued such challenges as a way to restore personal honor.
On July 11, 1804, U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, a former delegate to the Constitutional Convention, faced off in an infamous (notorious) duel. By the next day, a bullet had ended the life of one ...