Thursday, January 17, 2008

Book TV provides insight into Aaron Burr’s character

Last weekend I heard a conversation on Book TV between two of my favorite historians, Joseph Ellis and Richard Brookhiser, who were talking about Ellis’s latest book, American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic. This is the first time I can ever remember hearing a conversation on C-SPAN, and I hope we have more opportunities like this one. I like all the formats on Book TV: the author talks followed by questions from the audience; the in-depth interviews; and the panel discussions, but I have always wanted to hear experts talk directly with one another, like the sports guys do on the sports channel that my husband listens to.

The New York Historical Society hosted the original one hour program, which can be heard over the internet.  Here is a direct link to the page with the  video broadcast on booktv.org. I enjoyed hearing it for a second time. It was insightful and fun and gave me many things to think about. My favorite insight came from Richard Brookhiser; it was regarding the "charm" of Aaron Burr. Like all students of this time period, I am puzzled as to what to make of Aaron Burr—"What was he up to?" is the perpetual question, then and now, regarding his filibustering expedition to the southwest in 1806 (which is known as the "Burr-Wilkinson Conspiracy.") 

Brookhiser said that an old book on Aaron Burr written around 1910 contained information from people who actually had known Burr, and revealed why he was such an enigmatic charmer. They reported that Aaron Burr was a "great listener." He listened with full attention to people. That’s why people didn’t know what he was "up to"—they were too busy talking about their own ideas to care!  So what was he up to? Most of the 60-100 members of the filibustering expedition thought they were going to invade Spanish territory in the winter months of 1806-07. The question remains, did Burr intend to create a new country, with himself as the head of a new empire? I think so. I will write more about Burr and Meriwether Lewis in my next blog.

Posted by Kira Gale on 01/17/2008 at 02:59 PM

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