The Burr Conspiracy: Uncovering the Story of an Early American Crisis

by James E. Lewis Jr.

A multifaceted portrait of the early American republic as seen through the lens of the Burr Conspiracy

In 1805 and 1806, Aaron Burr, former vice president of the newly formed American republic, traveled through the Trans-Appalachian West gathering support for a mysterious enterprise, for which he was arrested and tried for treason in 1807. This book explores the political and cultural forces that shaped how Americans made sense of the uncertain rumors and reports about Burr’s intentions and movements, and examines what the resulting crisis reveals about their anxieties concerning the new nation’s fragile union and uncertain republic.

Burr was said to have enticed some people with plans to liberate Spanish Mexico, others with promises of land in the Orleans Territory, still others with talk of building a new empire beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The Burr Conspiracy was a cause célèbre of the early republic―with Burr cast as the chief villain of the Founding Fathers―even as the evidence against him was vague and conflicting. Rather than trying to discover the real intentions of Burr or his accusers―Thomas Jefferson foremost among them―James E. Lewis Jr. looks at how differing understandings of the Burr Conspiracy were shaped by everything from partisan politics and biased newspapers to notions of honor and gentility. He also traces the enduring legacy of the stories that were told and accepted during this moment of uncertainty.

The Burr Conspiracy offers a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of the United States at a time when it was far from clear to its people how long it would last.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography, Politics

648 pages, Hardcover

First published October 17, 2017

About the author

James E. Lewis Jr. is Professor of History at Kalamazoo College.

Reviews

[J.P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title might lead you to believe that this book provides insight into the Burr Conspiracy. I thought so myself. Unfortunately, Burr and the conspiracy are ancillary to a larger, rambling tale that meanders from the way news traveled in the early 19th century to the partisanship of the press to the outsized attention given to one attorney’s speech and how it corrupted public opinion to, well, you get the picture.

At many turns, the author references how mysterious the conspiracy was - was it treason or something more innocuous? Rather than make the affair less mysterious, he focuses on tangential topics that are united only loosely by the ostensible subject of the book.

Rarely does it take this long for me to work through a mere 450 pages, but this was a slog with no discernible payoff. I know little more about the topic than I did when I started.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This incredibly detailed work tells the story of a media frenzy that played out at 19th-century speed in letters, newspapers and speeches. Meticulously researched, this is the definitive analysis of a major political event now largely forgotten. Whether that event stemmed from a treasonous plot against the United States remains a mystery. The main elements of this story eerily echo recent events. Multiple investigations failed to prove any crime was committed, and no one was punished. What actually happened became less important than what people wanted to believe happened. Burr is a fascinating figure whose character and actions, real or imagined, polarized the polity and society of his day. The most interesting aspect of this book is the insight it provides into how Americans viewed their young nation, both its promise and the perils it faced. Their hopes and fears are surprisingly familiar despite of two centuries of separation from us. The only weakness of this history is its sometimes numbing thoroughness. Some judicious skimming is advised, and with that, I highly recommend it.

[Chris Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my! What a read. This maybe the best coverage of all the books I have read on Burr (with the possible exception of Isenberg with her views on newspaper coverage driving the ‘plot.’ What Lewis has attempted and exceeded at doing is trying to place the events of 186-1807 in the minds of the people of that time. He plows alot of the same ground as others but offers insights that force us to deal with our biases and opinions. I would recommend this book to any student of the era, the court system, the presidency, or is just interested in rip-roaring history. For someone new to Burr, I would recommend they start with Abernethy {The Burr Conspiracy} or Stewart {American Emperor} (more or less anti-Burr) and Isenberg {Fallen Founder} or Lomax {Aaron Burr, 2 volumes} (pro-Burr,) to give them a general background. This is a scholarly work. His footnotes are complete, in depth and informative. His bibliography is almost a must read for the period. Outstanding!

[Evan Þ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1806, former Vice-President Aaron Burr raised a private army in the west. He claimed it was to settle some new land grants and then invade Mexico, but public clamor - with some evidence - accused him of planning rebel and form his own country out of the western United States. After the Ohio militia raided his camp, the army dissolved and Burr was tried for treason, where he was acquitted on legalistic grounds.

A history of the Burr Conspiracy itself, Lewis tells us, would be rather short and uncertain - Burr's papers are lost; we have next to no actual evidence of what he was actually planning. This book is instead a history of the popular perception of the Burr Conspiracy - the clamor around it, how it affected the United States, and how it was perceived by people at the time. It's a fascinating story

[Lucy Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't worry, this book is "only" 461 pages, the rest being footnotes, etc. I diligently read the whole thing and still have no idea what happened. It is an act of bravery to dedicate so much time to discussing a topic that there is so much uncertainty about.
It isn't particularly accessible in style, it is more scholarly and less "readable " than someone like Eric Larson.
It also could have done with more summaries and context. For example, Wilkinson is pretty important and I am sure somewhere his first name was given, but I will be darned if I can find it, and we are never reminded of it again.
It doesn't explain what happened as much as it explains why we don't know what happened.

[Jeffery James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unique lens through which to analyze the Burr Conspiracy. Rather that a straight history of Burr's actions and trial, Lewis looks at the way Burr's contemporaries viewed the entire affair through many ideological, regional, economic, and political lenses. It's almost misleading to say the book was about the Burr conspiracy. Rather it's about how the events surrounding Burr's actions affected Americans across a wide spectrum. This book serves as a great companion piece to Joanne Freeman's, "Affairs of Honor" which focus exclusively of how the era's "Men of Honor" handled conflict.

[Rix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sells itself as an account of the events surrounding the Burr conspiracy, but it's so much more concerned with what the average American's experience of the trial would have looked like, and honestly it's better for it. A fascinating account that's light on details of the big plot itself but has so much to say about methods of communication and how information was shared and what public opinion was doing while the trial went down.

Really great, I recommend for anyone interested in more than just the bare bones of history

[Carlos Rodriguez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Long winded a whole chapter on how people communicated during the period and on and on and on. I love the subject of the book, but it appears to me that in an effort to make the book more intellectual the author opted for redundancy, repetition and simpleton arguments.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remarkably detailed. Definitely not for someone who wants an overview. Now I need to read something that is less focused on the details and summarizes the events.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot I didn’t know. Very interesting book!