Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;In this vivid and brilliant biography, David Stewart describes Aaron Burr, the third vice president, as a daring and perhaps deluded figure who shook the nationand#8217;s foundations in its earliest, most vulnerable decades. andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In 1805, the United States was not twenty years old, an unformed infant. The government consisted of a few hundred people. The immense frontier swallowed up a tiny army of 3,300 soldiers. Following the Louisiana Purchase, no one even knew where the nationand#8217;s western border lay. Secessionist sentiment flared in New England and beyond the Appalachians. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Burr had challenged Jefferson, his own running mate, in the presidential election of 1800. Indicted for murder in the dueling death of Alexander Hamilton in 1804, he dreamt huge dreams. He imagined an insurrection in New Orleans, a private invasion of Spanish Mexico and Florida, and a great empire rising on the Gulf of Mexico, which would swell when Americaand#8217;s western lands seceded from the Union. For two years, Burr pursued this audacious dream, enlisting support from the General-in-Chief of the Army, a paid agent of the Spanish king, and from other western leaders, including Andrew Jackson. When the army chief double-crossed Burr, Jefferson finally roused himself and ordered Burr prosecuted for treason. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The trial featured the nationand#8217;s finest lawyers before the greatest judge in our history, Chief Justice John Marshall, Jeffersonand#8217;s distant cousin and determined adversary. It became a contest over the nationand#8217;s identity: Should individual rights be sacrificed to punish a political apostate who challenged the nationand#8217;s very existence? In a revealing reversal of political philosophies, Jefferson championed government power over individual rights, while Marshall shielded the nationand#8217;s most notorious defendant. By concealing evidence, appealing to the rule of law, and exploiting the weaknesses of the governmentand#8217;s case, Burr won his freedom. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Afterwards Burr left for Europe to pursue an equally outrageous scheme to liberate Spainand#8217;s American colonies, but finding no European sponsor, he returned to America and lived to an unrepentant old age. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Stewartand#8217;s vivid account of Burrand#8217;s tumultuous life offers a rare and eye-opening description of the brand-new nation struggling to define itself.
Review
"With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has
Review
andlt;Bandgt;Advance Praise for American Emperorandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; and#8220;A proven storyteller, David O. Stewart takes us on a wonderful journey back to a fascinating chapter of American life: the challenges and controversies embodied in Aaron Burr. andlt;iandgt;American Emperorandlt;/iandgt; is a great tale.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;--Jon Meacham, author of andlt;iandgt;American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White Houseandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
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"Aaron Burr is the American Lucifer, a figure of immense talents and heroic qualities whose
Review
“Aaron Burr is the odd man out among the Founding Fathers, a vainglorious opportunist who looked down on Washington and Jefferson, killed Hamilton, and rarely missed a chance to advance his own political fortunes. By design, he left only a skimpy record of his life, but thanks to the patient scholarship and storytelling powers of David O. Stewart, we now have a luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life.”
--Patricia O’Toole, When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House
Review
and#8220;The generation of the Founders produced some intriguing characters, but Aaron Burr has to be the most charismatic, quixotic, and mysterious. David Stewart brings the scheming, brilliant Burr to life in this lively but also judicious portrait of grand and unfulfilled ambition.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;--Evan Thomas, author of andlt;iandgt;The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"A luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first
Review
and#8220;Stewartand#8217;s sympathetic but unapologetic study of the enigmatic Burrand#8230;transcends its subject in exposing the frailty of early Americaand#8217;s westward ambitions. Highly recommended for readers of Revolutionary-era biographies and early U.S. history.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;and#8211;andlt;iandgt;Library Journalandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;A fresh, vivid exploration of the exploits and trial of Aaron Burrand#8230; Two parts adventure story and one part courtroom thrillerand#8230; A persuasive, engaging examination of the post-political career of a shadowy and much-maligned figure from the era of the Founders.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#8211;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt; (Starred)andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Great men behaving badly makes for entertaining readingand#8230;[this book] will keep [readers] turning the pages of this meticulous, almost day-by-day account of a plot so bizarre that itand#8217;s hard to believe it actually happened.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;and#8211;andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Stewart strives admirably to sort through the maze of facts and speculations about the nature of the conspiracy and Burrand#8217;s place in it. This is also a personality study of Burr, in whom Stewart sees an extraordinary combination of talent, vision, arrogance, and insatiable ambitionand#8230;.readers should enjoy this account of a dangerous episode that threatened our young republic.and#8221;andlt;bandgt; and#8211;andlt;iandgt;Booklistandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"American Emperor offers a compelling, provocative portrait of Aaron Burr....a skilled historian and a splendid storyteller, Stewart makes the most of the episode and its...cast of characters." --Kansas City Star
Review
"American Emperor" is a rousing book (who can turn down a quixotic rebellion?) with a cast of characters that could slip comfortably into a three-volume melodrama of the 19th century.and#8220; and#8212;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Richmond Times-Dispatchandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Thoughtful, stylishly written and splendidly researchedand#8230;. Adds valuable dimensions to our appreciation of the world we inherited from the Founders.and#8230; A page-turner as well!and#8221;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt; and#8212;Washington Independent Review of Booksandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;A rattling taleand#8230; While most readers know the broad outlines of the Aaron Burr storyand#8230;, the tale still retains ample suspense. I wonand#8217;t spoil the ending.and#8221; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;and#8212;andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;Christian Science Monitorandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;A luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life.and#8221; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;--Patricia Oand#8217;Toole, andlt;iandgt;When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White Houseandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Aaron Burr is the American Lucifer, a figure of immense talents and heroic qualities whose voracious ambition thrust him into a position as adversary to the goodness around him. David Stewart captures this tale in all its drama, treachery, and historical dimension. This is a truly absorbing narrative.and#8221; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;--Robert W. Merry, author of andlt;iandgt;A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continentandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;--Thomas Fleming, author of andlt;iandgt;Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of Americaandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;American Emperorandlt;/iandgt; offers a compelling, provocative portrait of Aaron Burrand#8230;.a skilled historian and a splendid storyteller, Stewart makes the most of the episode and itsand#8230;cast of characters.and#8221;andlt;bandgt; and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Kansas City Starandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
A fascinating look at the young United States through the unlikely story of Aaron Burr, one of the most vilified and puzzling figures in our history.
Synopsis
Dreaming of an American Empire, Aaron Burr made President Thomas Jefferson tremble.
No adventure in American history has been like Aaron Burr’s. A canny and charismatic politician who rose to become third vice president of the new United States, Burr seemed to throw it all away in 1805 and 1806 in an extraordinary attempt to lead a secession of the American West.
American Emperor traces Burr from the threshold of the presidency in the contested election of 1800, through his duel with Alexander Hamilton, and then across the American West as he schemed with foreign ambassadors, the traitorous general-in-chief of the army, and future presidents, including Andrew Jackson.
His immense ambition was matched by his undisguised contempt for Thomas Jefferson, a president he thought ineffective and unwise. The indecisive Jefferson finally had Burr arrested and charged him with treason. Burr led his own legal defense in an historic treason trial before Chief Justice John Marshall, winning an acquittal and freedom.
American Emperor plays out in a youthful America bursting with promise and danger. While Jefferson is celebrated for concluding the Louisiana Purchase, it was Burr who imagined a new nation—a new empire—stretching from Florida around the Gulf of Mexico to Central America, and who pointed the way to later American expansion.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;David O. Stewartandlt;/bandgt;andnbsp;turned to writing after more than a quarter century of law practice in Washington, D.C., defending accused criminals and challenging government actions as unconstitutional. His first book about the writing of the Constitution,andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;The Summer of 1787andlt;/iandgt;, grew out of Supreme Court case he was working on. It was aandlt;iandgt;Washington Postandlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;bestseller and won the Washington Writing Prize for Best Book of 2007.andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Impeachedandlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;had its roots in a judicial impeachment trial Stewart defended before the United States Senate, in 1989, and then argued to the Supreme Court. His most recent book,andnbsp;andlt;iandgt;American Emperorandlt;/iandgt;,andnbsp;tells this astonishing tale, which traces Aaron Burrand#8217;s descent from made man to political pariah to imperialist adventurer. For more information about the author, go to DavidOStewart.com.andnbsp;