Catiline has found his Cicero

“Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr” by Nancy Isenberg is an attempt to rehabilitate Aaron Burr, one of the most vilified men in American history (with the possible exception of Benedict Arnold). Burr killed the great Alexander Hamilton in a duel, and then – supposedly – plotted to overthrow Thomas Jefferson, or at least lead a secessionist rebellion in the Western states. And yes, he is always portrayed as a man with strange sexual appetites, ranging from the promiscuous to the incestuous. Fans of HBO series “Game of Thrones” might think of Burr as a cross between King Joffrey and Oberyn Martell of Dorn…

Isenberg, by contrast, argues that Burr was better than the other Founding Fathers. A maverick supporter of the Democratic-Republican Party, he held remarkably progressive views on a range of issues, including gender, race and democracy. In many ways, he was a “liberal” ahead of his time. The fact that he often straddled the partisan divide is interpreted by Isenberg not as unprincipled scheming, but rather as a principled, measured and rational position. The author has a strong animus against Hamilton, who she believes was the real unprincipled schemer. She believes that it was Hamilton, rather than Burr, who had the most lethal intentions during their infamous (and for Hamilton, fatal) duel.

Most controversially, perhaps, Isenberg argues that Burr was innocent of the treason charges laid against him by Jefferson and his supporters. Filibusters were standard practice in the United States at the time, and were seen as excellent opportunities to expand American settlements to the west and south. Jefferson turned a blind eye to the activities of one Francisco Miranda, who attempted a private invasion of Venezuela from U.S. soil, while Hamilton probably supported him. Burr's attempted invasion of Mexico was no different, in the author's estimation. She rejects the claims that Burr's real goal was to crown himself emperor of Mexico, make the Western states and territories secede from the Union, or launch a putsch against President Jefferson in Washington DC. An interesting point raised by the author is that Burr was called “Catiline” long before his fateful Western filibuster, and that this may have been a reference not only to his supposedly unprincipled and dangerous disposition, but also to deviant sexuality – the historical Catiline apparently had a reputation for debauches of the grossest kind.

I admit that I only skimmed this voluminous book, since I had enough of Burr for one fortnight, also having read David Stewart's “American Emperor” (a more popularized study which often takes the opposite positions from those of Isenberg). However, “Fallen Founder” is probably a necessary read for those seriously interested in the most colorful vice president in the history of the United States.

It seems “Catiline” has finally found his “Cicero”.