48 J UKKS ED WA RDS 



Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the Fed- 

 eralists. He also was of New York. It was a 

 battle of the giants. These two men measured 

 swords. The presidency of the United States was 

 the prize both parties the Federalists and the 

 Democrats were seeking. New York had always 

 been with the Federalists. In this great struggle 

 it went against Hamilton and for Burr. This ended 

 the political career of Hamilton, and would have 

 done so had he lived longer. He was one of 

 America's greatest statesmen, but one of the 

 poorest politicians. No one could get along with 

 him but Washington, and when he died the politi- 

 cal end of Hamilton came. 



Jefferson and Burr each received seventy-three 

 votes for president, and Adams received sixty-five. 

 New York had twelve votes, so that if she had 

 remained with the Federalist candidate Adams, he 

 would have won, seventy-seven to sixty-one. This 

 defeat angered Hamilton beyond endurance. He 

 and Burr had been deadly rivals for thirty years, 

 first for the love of woman, then for military pre- 

 ferment, and later in the political arena. When 

 Burr established the Manhattan bank, Hamilton's 

 brother-in-law, inspired by Hamilton, attacked 

 Burr's motive, with the result of a duel in which 

 neither was harmed. 



Notwithstanding Hamilton's greatness, he was 

 always in trouble with men and women. He never 

 ceased his abuse of Burr, whose election as senator 

 angered him. Later, when Burr was the choice of 



