#the law practice of alexander hamilton

[gracehosborn]

… The [Law] Register [of Alexander Hamilton, 1795-1804] is the first document of its kind made available in printed form and copiously annotated. Some readers will use the Register for information on a particular case or cases or for bibliographical aid in exploring court records. Apart from such use the document in its totality uniquely illuminates the practice of law during a formative period in legal development and growth of the bar in the State of New York.

Source: Hamilton, Alexander. The Law Practice of Alexander Hamilton, Documents and Commentary: Vol. V Ed. Goebel, Julius Jr., Smith, Joseph H. Columbia University Press, 1981 pg. 8 [Link Here]

And one reader will use the Register to outline part of a historical fiction epic. Definitely the unconventional answer.

[contemplatingoutlander]

"The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office." (Article III, Section 1) [emphasis added]

Alexander Hamilton would be outraged to know that the current Supreme Court justices assume the Constitution gives them lifetime appointments — regardless of their behavior. He wouldn’t understand how any justice could overlook Article III, Section I that states that judges and justices “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.”

In the above commentary, Jack Jordan makes an excellent case that the Founders' intentions regarding the tenure of federal justices and judges has been grossly misinterpreted--and by justices who claim to be "originalists." Below are some excerpts:

A favorite falsehood by fake originalists (including those on SCOTUS) is that federal judges have “life tenure” or “lifetime appointments” (essentially the right to employment for life). Nothing explicitly or implicitly in our Constitution supports that myth. Often, so-called originalists who assert such falsehoods are lying to us about our Constitution.  [...] Our Constitution (Article III) strongly and clearly emphasized that all federal “Judges,” i.e., “of the supreme [court] and [all] inferior Courts shall” (and may) “hold their Offices” only “during good Behaviour.” This particular principle was discussed repeatedly and in multiple respects during the debates over whether the people should ratify our Constitution. Such discussions are evidence of what the people actually did ratify. Such discussions are evidence of what the people (including Federalists and Antifederalists) understood our Constitution meant. Some of the most obvious and emphatic statements were by Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist No. 78. Hamilton emphasized that some state “constitutions” already “established GOOD BEHAVIOR as the tenure of their judicial offices” and our Constitution “would have been inexcusably defective, if it had [failed to include] this important feature of good government.” “The standard of good behavior for the continuance in office of the judicial magistracy” was carefully (and repeatedly) chosen to be “one of the most valuable of the modern improvements in the practice of government.” [color/ emphasis added]

______________ Alexander Hamilton image was AI generated by Shutterstock.

[See more excerpts below the cut.]

[...] Hamilton also emphasized that judges are “servant[s]” or “representative[s]” of “the people.” We the People used our Constitution (Article III) to impose the “standard of good behavior” on judges as an “excellent barrier to the encroachments and oppressions of [all our] representative[s]” and “to secure a steady, upright, and impartial administration of the laws” by all our public servants. [...] Repeatedly, Hamilton and James Madison emphasized similar principles. Ours is “a republic, where every magistrate ought to be personally responsible for his behavior in office.”  The Federalist No. 70 (Hamilton).  Having “courts composed of judges holding their offices” only “during good behavior” is a “powerful means” for ensuring “the excellences of republican government may be retained and its imperfections lessened or avoided.”  The Federalist No. 9 (Hamilton).  “The tenure by which the judges are to hold their places, is, as it unquestionably ought to be, that of good behavior.”  The Federalist No. 39 (James Madison).  Only “judges” who “behave properly, will be secured in their places for life.”  The Federalist No. 79 (Hamilton). In The Federalist No. 81 (Hamilton) also addressed a particular form of bad judicial behavior that is remarkably common among some SCOTUS justices: “judges” committing “deliberate usurpations” of “authority” that was not delegated to them by our Constitution. Hamilton also emphasized “the important constitutional check which the power of instituting impeachments” (by the House of Representatives) “and of determining upon them” (in a trial by the Senate) “would give to” Congress as “the means of punishing [the] presumption” of judges usurping powers that the Constitution did not give judges or courts (or to Congress, which creates all federal courts below SCOTUS). [color/ emphasis added]

So the Founders expected federal judges and justices who were not showing "good behavior" to be removed.

This also suggests that they would have expected the Supreme Court to develop a code of ethics that had actual teeth, in addition to the institutional check against bad judicial behavior that they put in place by allowing Congress to impeach corrupt justices.

Unfortunately, the Founders didn't expect that in the future one party in Congress (the Republicans) would be so corrupt that there is no way they would ever impeach the equally corrupt right-wing "politicians in robes" on the current Supreme Court.

Still, anytime a justice asserts that they have tenure for life in an interview, the interviewer might want to remind them about that "good behavior" stipulation in Article III, and ask them how they are making sure they are fulfilling that requirement for their continued tenure.

[whencyclopedia]

Hamilton-Burr Duel

The Hamilton-Burr duel was fought between Alexander Hamilton and his political rival Aaron Burr at 7 a.m. on 11 July 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey. It resulted in the death of Hamilton, who received a mortal wound to the abdomen, and the end of Burr's career. The duel remains an iconic episode in the early history of the United States.

Hamilton-Burr Duel

Unknown Artist (Public Domain)

Background: The Rivalry

For a long while, the lives and careers of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr seemed to run parallel with one another. Both were born in the mid-1750s and were orphaned before reaching adolescence. Both served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and both went on to establish law practices in New York City at the end of the war. Hamilton and Burr were both exemplary lawyers; one contemporary remarked on their differences in oratorial style, writing that "Burr was terse and convincing, while Hamilton was flowing and rapturous" (Chernow, 193). Both men were insatiably ambitious, dressed in fine clothes, and reveled in the company of women. By the early 1780s, both men were married – Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler, the pretty young daughter of an influential New York politician, and Burr to the widowed Theodosia Prevost, ten years his senior.

The two men had certainly known each other for some time when, in 1791, Burr decided to run for a seat in the US Senate. His opponent was General Philip Schuyler, the incumbent and Hamilton's father-in-law. Although Schuyler was one of the most influential men in New York, Burr was backed by the equally influential Clinton and Livingston political dynasties, and, in the end, Burr won the election. Hamilton, who was currently serving as secretary of the Treasury in the Washington Administration, was frustrated by Burr's victory. He was angry not only because of his familial connections to Schuyler but also because he had been counting on his father-in-law's support to help push his ambitious financial program through the Senate. The political rivalry between Hamilton and Burr is often traced back to this moment and, over the course of the next thirteen years, would only worsen.

A main point of contention between the two men was their differing views on politics. Hamilton was an idealist – as the leader of the nationalistic Federalist Party, he dreamed of turning the infant United States into a modernized power on the same level as the great empires of Europe. To this end, he focused on an agenda concerned with strengthening the authority of the central government, fostering business and industry, and building up the military. Burr, on the other hand, was no idealist. He did not see politics as a means to an end, but rather as a tool to gain money and influence for himself, his family, and his friends. Politics, Burr once said, were nothing more than "fun and honor and profit" (Wood, 280). So, although he was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party – the political faction that rivaled Hamilton's Federalists – Burr was inclined to be swayed toward whichever side benefited him the most, as would happen when he began favoring Federalist policies after his fallout with Thomas Jefferson.

Alexander Hamilton

John Trumbull (Public Domain)

Because of Burr's apparent lack of convictions, Hamilton regarded him as a dangerous man who must be kept away from office at all costs. During the US presidential election of 1800, Burr and Jefferson received an equal number of electoral votes, and it was left to the Federalist-dominated House of Representatives to break the tie and choose which of the two men would be the next president. Initially, many Federalists sought to deny Jefferson the presidency – after all, he was the leader of the Democratic-Republicans and their chief rival. Hamilton loathed Jefferson as well, but he was much more concerned about a potential Burr presidency. He knew that Jefferson, at least, would stick to his principles, while Burr was "daring enough to attempt anything – wicked enough to scruple nothing" (Wood, 284).

Hamilton therefore used his considerable influence within the Federalist Party to sway the vote, securing the presidency for Jefferson. According to the election rules in place at the time, Burr, as the runner-up, became vice president, but he was distrusted by Jefferson, who pushed him out of his inner circle and denied him much influence in his administration. Realizing he would not be on the ticket when Jefferson ran for re-election in 1804, Burr was left to explore other options. Eventually, he decided to run for governor of New York, where he still enjoyed considerable influence.

Continue reading...

[leaderofthemafia]

After the war I went back to New York

A-After the war I went back to New York

I finished up my studies and I practiced law

I practiced law, Burr worked next door

Even though we started at the very same time Alexander Hamilton began to climb How to account for his rise to the top? Man, the man is Non-stop!

Gentlemen of the jury, I'm curious, bear with me Are you aware that we're making history? This is the first murder trial of our brand-new nation The liberty behind deliberation Non-stop!

I am meant to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt With my assistant counsel—

Co-counsel. Hamilton, sit down Our client Levi Weeks is innocent, call your first witness That's all you had to say

Okay, one more thing—

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Aww!

Why do you write like you're running out of time? Write day and night like you're running out of time Every day you fight like you're running out of time

Keep on fighting, in the meantime Non-stop!

Corruption's such an old song that we can sing along in harmony And nowhere is it stronger than in Albany This colony's economy's increasingly stalling And honestly, that's why (He's just) Public service seems to be (non-stop!) calling me

I practiced the law, practic'ly perfected it I've seen injustice in the world and I've corrected it Now for a strong central democracy If not, then I'll be Socrates Throwing verbal rocks at these mediocrities (Awww!)

Hamilton at the Constitutional Convention

I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!

There as a New York junior delegate

Now what I'm gonna say may sound indelicate... (Awww!)

Goes and proposes his own form of government What?

His own plan for a new form of government What?

Talks for six hours, the convention is listless

Bright young man! Yo, who the eff is this?

Why do you always say what you believe? Why do you always say what you believe?

Every proclamation guarantees Free ammunition for your enemies (Awww!)

Why do you write like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Write day and night like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Every day you fight like it's going out of style Do you what you do

Alexander?

Aaron Burr, sir

Well, it's the middle of the night

Can we confer, sir?

Is this a legal matter?

Yes, and it's important to me

What do you need?

Burr, you're a better lawyer than me

Okay?

I know I talk too much, I'm abrasive You're incredible in court, you're succinct, persuasive My client needs a strong defence, you're the solution

Who's your client?

The new U.S. Constitution?

No

Hear me out—

No way!

A series of essays anonymously published Defending the document to the public

No one'll read it

I disagree!

And if it fails?

Burr, that's why we need it

The constitution's a mess!

So it needs amendments

It's full of contradictions!

So is independence We have to start somewhere

No, no, no, no, no, no way

You're making a mistake

Good night!

Hey! What are you waiting for? What do you stall for?

What?

We won the war, what was it all for? Do you support this constitution?

Of course

Then defend it!

And what if you're backing the wrong horse?

Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed For the notion of a nation we now get to build For once in your life take a stand with pride I don't understand how you stand to the side

I don't keep all my plans close to my chest

Wait for it, wait for it, wait

I won't wait here and see which

Way the wind will blow I'm taking my time watching the afterbirth of a nation Watching the tension grow

I am sailing off to London I am accompanied by someone who always pays I have found a wealthy husband Who will keep me in comfort for all my days He is not a lot of fun but There's no one who can match you for turn of phrase My Alexander—

Angelica

Don't forget to write

Look at where you are Look at where you started The fact that you're alive is a miracle Just stay alive, that would be enough And if your wife could share a fraction of your time If I could grant you peace of mind Would that be enough?

Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays Defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays The work divided evenly among the three men In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays in the span of six months John Jay got sick after writing five James Madison wrote twenty-nine Hamilton wrote the other FIFTY-ONE!

How do you write like you're

Running out time Write day and night like you're

Running out time

Every day you fight like you're

Running out time

Like you're

Running out time

Are you running out time?

How do you write like tomorrow won't arrive? How do you write like you need it to survive? How do you write every second you're alive Every second you're alive Every second you're alive

They're asking me to lead I'm doing the best I can To get the people that I need I'm asking you to be my right hand man

Treasury or State?

I know it's a lot to ask—

Treasury or State?

To leave behind the world you know—

Sir, do you want me to run the Treasury or State Department?

Treasury

Let's go

Alexander!

I have to leave

Alexander!

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

Helpless

They are asking me to lead

Look around, isn't this enough?

He will never be satisfied

Would it be enough?

He will never be satisfied

Satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room?

Look around, look around

Non-stop!

He will never be satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Isn't this enough? Would it be enough?

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you write like you're running out of time?

Non-stop!

Why do you write like—

History has it's eyes on you!

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

Uhm? Is everything ok?

[practical-tactical-brilliance]

I’m Willing to Wait for it. (Part 3)

Aaron Burr x f!Reader

Summary: Burr is in your care and living with you as he recovers from his health problems after his retirement in 1779. You attend Eliza’s wedding to Alexander in 1780.

So after some research, Eliza met Hamilton long before they went to the revel which happened in 1780, but they fell in love during that ball and got engaged soon after. The ball itself was the Morristown Assembly Hall and took place in a wood storehouse while the families of patriot soldiers wintered with them in Morristown.

I’ve also been reading Aaron Burr’s private journal lately and that man is hilarious. He’s no villain, he’s just weird.

~~~~

The fact that Aaron had survived the massacre at Long Island unscathed was miraculous. He had led the retreat of over 5000 men through New York to New Jersey as you’d come to learn. Though you would not see him again for a great period of time you grew to know him intimately through his letters. Though the remembrance of his features faded, meeting him still felt like yesterday.

The letters you exchanged with Aaron became an almost daily affair. What started out as a wavering mistrust became a solid friendship. Whether he was in New York or elsewhere he would always keep you up to date with his location and where to address your writings.

Knowing that he was of poor health when he eventually retired from the military, you immediately offered up your home in New York to host him as a semi-permanent guest where he could recover in relative peace and quiet; just you and him. The salt sea air from the harbour will do you good, you had written him and he more than happily accepted. The idea of keeping slaves was an abhorrent practice to you so you kept your own house meticulously by yourself with Aaron helping out when he could.

On the days when he was bedbound, he talked to you as his confidant in all his activities and stories during the war and the hopes he held for the future. Living with him, you discovered that he despite his genius disposition, he could be an incredible klutz, was often a highly anxious yet somehow also very optimistic person and had his own quirks to match behind the suave exterior that he liked to keep up.

It took nearly a year before Aaron was fully recovered. A year of witnessing his ups and downs and looking after him in the most severe bouts of sickness he was subjected to while he concurrently pursued his studies in law. A year of long walks and heated discussion until the early hours of the morning. It seemed like the worst was over for him and at the same time, it signified at change in your lives once again. He would no longer be needing to stay with you and somehow you were saddened to think about the loss of your housemate. Was it wrong to think that the year that had passed felt like more like a courtship than a friendship? That some days you were drawn almost intimately close to one another in conversation and in person?

It was to your surprise then that on a brisk autumn morning you received a letter addressed to one Mr. Burr from your father of all people. He rarely wrote you as of late but somehow he was writing to Aaron? Your curiosity was piqued; what kind of involvement did they have together? You had your suspicions about its content, although you tried not to get too far ahead of yourself.

“Aaron? You have a letter.” You called out to him.

“Who from?” Came the muffled response from the study before he peeked out around the corner.

“My father.”

“Oh! Of course! Thank you, my dear.” He needed no further invitation to come out, making a direct beeline for you.

Suddenly you held the letter out of his sight when he tried to take it, a wicked smile on your face. “What’s it for, Aaron? Why have you been writing to my father?”

“If I tell you once I read the letter myself, would that satisfy you?” The grin spreading across his own features was infectious and titillating.

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Because,” he tried to reach out and grab it swiftly from behind your back, but anticipating the move you backed away from his grasp, keeping the prized possession out of his hands once again. “Because, even I’m not entirely sure what that letter contains.”

“So you admit to being somewhat sure?”

“I think I’ll just keep my silence, little minx!” Cornering you against the wall, he kissed you on the nose as a distraction before he pried from your hands the letter that he had long awaited with much anxiety and skipping away before you could catch a glimpse of its contents. You had your answer then, there was no doubt in your mind what the letter was about now.

“So, what has my father decided?”

“Do you know what he’s deciding on?”

“I’ve had my ideas. Besides, I’ve known you long enough now, that I can tell you’re worried over it. Being so out of the blue, it can’t have been about legal matters and its unlikely the war would be occupying your mind as much. What could it possibly be to make you so anxious if you were not asking for permission to marry?” Sidling up to him, you rested your head on his chest as he leaned against the doorway, scanning the letter meticulously. “I’m not blind by any means, Aaron. And if you truly mean what you’ve been preaching for the last 5 years, then I would be more than happy to be bound to you.”

“You’ve always been so nimble-witted. Does anything ever escape your notice?” He sighed, bringing his arm around you. There was a light brush of your hair as he laid a gentle kiss to it and you melted into his touch.

“You’ll have to tell me. If it escaped my notice then surely someone has to pick up on it for it to be considered ‘missed’.” You murmured into his vest. “So what does my father say?”

“Mr Burr,

Upon much reflection of your proposal, I have decided that you’ve made a compelling case in your favour as a young man of much potential and character. I was delighted to hear of your bravery and sacrifice during your time in the army and I accept your case. I give my permissions to you upon the condition that you remain true to Y/N in all your actions and I grant my blessings to you both should she be so inclined to accept your proposal of marriage herself.

Your obedient servant,

Mr L/N.”

You couldn’t help but hear the smile in his voice as he read the letter out to you. Your heart warmed and fluttered at the thought.

“If you choose to be my wife, I’ll make sure you’ll want for nothing.”

“I don’t want anything but you.” Looking up into his dark eyes, sparkling like diamonds, there was nothing but happiness and relief that flooded you. There would be no more waiting, you thought as he leaned down to kiss you; properly this time, holding you close in his embrace.

————

Somehow, despite having met and been courted by Alexander in the same year, Eliza was getting married even sooner than you and Aaron. It felt almost bizarre to think that the youngest Schuyler sister and one of your closest friends, was finally growing up and you were here to bear witness to her union. And beside you, arm linked with yours was the man you could finally call your fiancé.

It was December, and the snowfall turned the Schuyler family home in Albany to a winter wonderland. From outside, the windows glowed with the warmth of the celebration inside.

“Congratulations, Eliza! I wish you every happiness with Alexander.” You caught her at a free moment, holding her hands in yours in excitement. “Your last letter nearly gave me whiplash with how fast things were progressing between you two.”

“I wasn’t expecting it, but that day at the ball General Washington threw at the Morristown Assembly Hall! Oh, Y/N! It was just a little rickety room, but I’d never felt more alive to be there. And when I first laid eyes on him, I knew he was the one; we both knew.” She tittered, the events still fresh on her mind.

“There are things that don’t need waiting for sometimes, and love just happened to be one of them. Anyways, enough about me, I hear you’ve gotten engaged to Aaron! Finally!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at her exasperation, “you sound like you’ve been anticipating this for some time, Eliza!”

“It only took you; remind me how long it was again? Five years. Honestly with all that flirtatious letter writing you were doing I was sure you’d be married years ago.”

“I just wanted to make sure he was the right person for me. Besides, he was so busy with his involvement in the army that we never got time to properly court before his retirement. This just happened to be the right time for it to happen!”

There was a twinge of worry that you saw on Eliza’s brow. “Is everything ok?” You asked with concern.

“No; I’m fine, you just reminded me that Alexander will still be fighting with General Washington when the winter clears. I wish that I could steal him away with me, but he’s too dutiful to stay behind.” She sighed.

Sensing that this train of thought would only lead to more anxiety, you led her over to the dance floor, “Put those thoughts aside, Eliza! From what Aaron tells me, Alexander is a man of his word, and a survivor. I have no doubt in what he says. This is a day of celebration and joy for you! So let’s dance and enjoy ourselves one last time as unmarried women!” And just like the Eliza you knew, she smiled again, bright as the sun that knows no bounds, even in the deepest of winters.

[iwaitforthestorm]

After the war I went back to New York

A-After the war I went back to New York

I finished up my studies and I practiced law

I practiced law, Burr worked next door

Even though we started at the very same time Alexander Hamilton began to climb How to account for his rise to the top? Man, the man is Non-stop!

Gentlemen of the jury, I'm curious, bear with me Are you aware that we're making history? This is the first murder trial of our brand-new nation The liberty behind deliberation Non-stop!

I am meant to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt With my assistant counsel—

Co-counsel. Hamilton, sit down Our client Levi Weeks is innocent, call your first witness That's all you had to say

Okay, one more thing—

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Aww!

Why do you write like you're running out of time? Write day and night like you're running out of time Every day you fight like you're running out of time

Keep on fighting, in the meantime Non-stop!

Corruption's such an old song that we can sing along in harmony And nowhere is it stronger than in Albany This colony's economy's increasingly stalling And honestly, that's why (He's just) Public service seems to be (non-stop!) calling me

I practiced the law, practic'ly perfected it I've seen injustice in the world and I've corrected it Now for a strong central democracy If not, then I'll be Socrates Throwing verbal rocks at these mediocrities (Awww!)

Hamilton at the Constitutional Convention

I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!

There as a New York junior delegate

Now what I'm gonna say may sound indelicate... (Awww!)

Goes and proposes his own form of government What?

His own plan for a new form of government What?

Talks for six hours, the convention is listless

Bright young man! Yo, who the eff is this?

Why do you always say what you believe? Why do you always say what you believe?

Every proclamation guarantees Free ammunition for your enemies (Awww!)

Why do you write like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Write day and night like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Every day you fight like it's going out of style Do you what you do

Alexander?

Aaron Burr, sir

Well, it's the middle of the night

Can we confer, sir?

Is this a legal matter?

Yes, and it's important to me

What do you need?

Burr, you're a better lawyer than me

Okay?

I know I talk too much, I'm abrasive You're incredible in court, you're succinct, persuasive My client needs a strong defence, you're the solution

Who's your client?

The new U.S. Constitution?

No

Hear me out—

No way!

A series of essays anonymously published Defending the document to the public

No one'll read it

I disagree!

And if it fails?

Burr, that's why we need it

The constitution's a mess!

So it needs amendments

It's full of contradictions!

So is independence We have to start somewhere

No, no, no, no, no, no way

You're making a mistake

Good night!

Hey! What are you waiting for? What do you stall for?

What?

We won the war, what was it all for? Do you support this constitution?

Of course

Then defend it!

And what if you're backing the wrong horse?

Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed For the notion of a nation we now get to build For once in your life take a stand with pride I don't understand how you stand to the side

I don't keep all my plans close to my chest

Wait for it, wait for it, wait

I won't wait here and see which

Way the wind will blow I'm taking my time watching the afterbirth of a nation Watching the tension grow

I am sailing off to London I am accompanied by someone who always pays I have found a wealthy husband Who will keep me in comfort for all my days He is not a lot of fun but There's no one who can match you for turn of phrase My Alexander—

Angelica

Don't forget to write

Look at where you are Look at where you started The fact that you're alive is a miracle Just stay alive, that would be enough And if your wife could share a fraction of your time If I could grant you peace of mind Would that be enough?

Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays Defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays The work divided evenly among the three men In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays in the span of six months John Jay got sick after writing five James Madison wrote twenty-nine Hamilton wrote the other FIFTY-ONE!

How do you write like you're

Running out time Write day and night like you're

Running out time

Every day you fight like you're

Running out time

Like you're

Running out time

Are you running out time?

How do you write like tomorrow won't arrive? How do you write like you need it to survive? How do you write every second you're alive Every second you're alive Every second you're alive

They're asking me to lead I'm doing the best I can To get the people that I need I'm asking you to be my right hand man

Treasury or State?

I know it's a lot to ask—

Treasury or State?

To leave behind the world you know—

Sir, do you want me to run the Treasury or State Department?

Treasury

Let's go

Alexander!

I have to leave

Alexander!

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

Helpless

They are asking me to lead

Look around, isn't this enough?

He will never be satisfied

Would it be enough?

He will never be satisfied

Satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room?

Look around, look around

Non-stop!

He will never be satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Isn't this enough? Would it be enough?

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you write like you're running out of time?

Non-stop!

Why do you write like—

History has it's eyes on you!

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

"What is happening."

[womanovertheedge]

After the war I went back to New York

A-After the war I went back to New York

I finished up my studies and I practiced law

I practiced law, Burr worked next door

Even though we started at the very same time Alexander Hamilton began to climb How to account for his rise to the top? Man, the man is Non-stop!

Gentlemen of the jury, I'm curious, bear with me Are you aware that we're making history? This is the first murder trial of our brand-new nation The liberty behind deliberation Non-stop!

I am meant to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt With my assistant counsel—

Co-counsel. Hamilton, sit down Our client Levi Weeks is innocent, call your first witness That's all you had to say

Okay, one more thing—

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Aww!

Why do you write like you're running out of time? Write day and night like you're running out of time Every day you fight like you're running out of time

Keep on fighting, in the meantime Non-stop!

Corruption's such an old song that we can sing along in harmony And nowhere is it stronger than in Albany This colony's economy's increasingly stalling And honestly, that's why (He's just) Public service seems to be (non-stop!) calling me

I practiced the law, practic'ly perfected it I've seen injustice in the world and I've corrected it Now for a strong central democracy If not, then I'll be Socrates Throwing verbal rocks at these mediocrities (Awww!)

Hamilton at the Constitutional Convention

I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!

There as a New York junior delegate

Now what I'm gonna say may sound indelicate... (Awww!)

Goes and proposes his own form of government What?

His own plan for a new form of government What?

Talks for six hours, the convention is listless

Bright young man! Yo, who the eff is this?

Why do you always say what you believe? Why do you always say what you believe?

Every proclamation guarantees Free ammunition for your enemies (Awww!)

Why do you write like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Write day and night like it's going out of style (goin out of style, hey) Every day you fight like it's going out of style Do you what you do

Alexander?

Aaron Burr, sir

Well, it's the middle of the night

Can we confer, sir?

Is this a legal matter?

Yes, and it's important to me

What do you need?

Burr, you're a better lawyer than me

Okay?

I know I talk too much, I'm abrasive You're incredible in court, you're succinct, persuasive My client needs a strong defence, you're the solution

Who's your client?

The new U.S. Constitution?

No

Hear me out—

No way!

A series of essays anonymously published Defending the document to the public

No one'll read it

I disagree!

And if it fails?

Burr, that's why we need it

The constitution's a mess!

So it needs amendments

It's full of contradictions!

So is independence We have to start somewhere

No, no, no, no, no, no way

You're making a mistake

Good night!

Hey! What are you waiting for? What do you stall for?

What?

We won the war, what was it all for? Do you support this constitution?

Of course

Then defend it!

And what if you're backing the wrong horse?

Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed For the notion of a nation we now get to build For once in your life take a stand with pride I don't understand how you stand to the side

I don't keep all my plans close to my chest

Wait for it, wait for it, wait

I won't wait here and see which

Way the wind will blow I'm taking my time watching the afterbirth of a nation Watching the tension grow

I am sailing off to London I am accompanied by someone who always pays I have found a wealthy husband Who will keep me in comfort for all my days He is not a lot of fun but There's no one who can match you for turn of phrase My Alexander—

Angelica

Don't forget to write

Look at where you are Look at where you started The fact that you're alive is a miracle Just stay alive, that would be enough And if your wife could share a fraction of your time If I could grant you peace of mind Would that be enough?

Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays Defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays The work divided evenly among the three men In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays in the span of six months John Jay got sick after writing five James Madison wrote twenty-nine Hamilton wrote the other FIFTY-ONE!

How do you write like you're

Running out time Write day and night like you're

Running out time

Every day you fight like you're

Running out time

Like you're

Running out time

Are you running out time?

How do you write like tomorrow won't arrive? How do you write like you need it to survive? How do you write every second you're alive Every second you're alive Every second you're alive

They're asking me to lead I'm doing the best I can To get the people that I need I'm asking you to be my right hand man

Treasury or State?

I know it's a lot to ask—

Treasury or State?

To leave behind the world you know—

Sir, do you want me to run the Treasury or State Department?

Treasury

Let's go

Alexander!

I have to leave

Alexander!

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now

Helpless

They are asking me to lead

Look around, isn't this enough?

He will never be satisfied

Would it be enough?

He will never be satisfied

Satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room?

Look around, look around

Non-stop!

He will never be satisfied, satisfied, satisfied

Why do you assume you're the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude may be your doom

Isn't this enough? Would it be enough?

History has it's eyes on you

Why do you write like you're running out of time?

Non-stop!

Why do you write like—

History has it's eyes on you!

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

Just you wait

I am Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton Just you wait

I am not throwing away my shot!

musical.

//I LOVE HAMILTON

[pub-lius]

burr pt. 4 stay on that grindset mindset

with the power of abby lee miller and the devil from the bible, im getting all these posts done in one sitting. (part 3)

Europe side quest

Burr fled to Europe under an assumed name in June 1808 because literally everyone hated him after the whole treason and killing Hamilton thing.

Burr traveled through England living it up, and by that I mean sightseeing, reading, whoring, eating a shocking amount of grapes, and plotting yet another Western expedition (he tried to get British and French support but they didn't give a shit, they had an international war to worry about).

He met Jeremy Bentham and they were gay and I live for it. Bentham was a philosopher, best known for the concept of utilitarianism, which is actually really slay. He wrote to his daughter about how much he liked him and how much he thought she would like him and it's really sweet to read. More info about Burr and his gay lovers here (I love this article).

Burr visited France and almost hung out with ~M. de Talleyrand~, but Talleyrand was like "i have this portrait of Hamilton, I hope that's not a problem" and Burr was like "...maybe i'll catch you next time-"

There was also this one time (idk where or when it was, but im not looking it up) where Burr saw a statue of Hamilton and like pointed at his face wrinkles and said "here lies the poetry" or whatever. You can think about that all you want, I think it's weird and I have no clue what it means.

Return to America

Burr came back to the states in spring of 1812, and moved to the Boston waterfront, which was. different. from the elaborate mansion he had in the New York countryside. He reappeared in New York in June to resume his legal career, so I don't wanna hear he was unemployed (he was severely in debt tho).

In December 1812, Theodosia Jr. went to meet Burr from her home in South Carolina, but died in a shipwreck. cry. CRY.

Burr continued to practice law, but was completely removed from politics. In 1831, he was found living in a dirty "garret, shabbily dressed" yet still optimistic.

He married Eliza Jumel, who was a wealthy widow, in 1833. In my opinion, she was just as sketchy as he was, so like. idk, but she divorced him the following year because he was a broke bitch. She also hired Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her divorce attorney which, yeah that's a low blow, but he was a huge asshole, so maybe she should have gone with James Alexander Hamilton instead.

Burr suffered several strokes the day the divorce was finalized in 1834, and died at Port Richard, Staten Island on September 14.

A clergyman was asked about the likelihood that Burr would be freed from sin, and he said, "On that subject I am coy."

Aaron Burr was buried at Princeton on September 16, 1836.

This one is unexpectedly short, which I think is a gift from god because I have been sitting here for four hours. I'm going to go watch Shameless and eat ice cream, so I hope you all have a slay day, and I will see you soon for Lafayette's post <3

[lesbiantrish]

After the war I went back to New York

a-after the war I went back to New York

I finished up my studies and I practiced law

I practiced law Burr worked next door

even though we started at the very same time

alexander Hamilton began to climb

how to account for his rise to the top?

man, that man is non-stop

hamilton is my past present and future

[yr-obedt-cicero]

Do you know anything about Eliza P. Knox and her relationship with Alexander Hamilton Junior?

Love your blog, thank you for everything<3

After serving as Aide-de-camp to his late father's friend, General Morgan Lewis, until June of 1815, Alexander resumed law practice and “paid his addresses to” Eliza P. Knox. [x] Eliza was the daughter of Thomas (Records sometimes name him William) Knox and Mary Hester “Kortright” Knox. Mary was the sister of Elizabeth Monroe, James Monroe's wife. And Knox was at that time a leading merchant in New York City. Her birthdate and location of birth are both unknown, unsubstantial sources vary between her birth year being around 1796 or 1801.

In 1817, Alexander married Eliza. According to John Pintard, Eliza and Alexander eloped and ran away from the Knoxs' initially, before matters were resolved;

The father wd not consent & a runaway match ensued. A reconciliation took place a year after, when Prest Monroe visited this city, Mrs Knox, deceased, & Mrs M. being sisters.

Barck, Dorothy C., and Pintard, John. Letters from John Pintard to His Daughter, Eliza Noel Pintard Davidson, 1816-1833. United States, New-York Historical Society, 1940.

It is possible Alexander, perhaps with his wife, went and saw his uncle-in-law - James Monroe - on his deathbed. As he writes devastatingly to James Madison, [30 June 1831];

The newspapers having announced the dangerous indisposition of your much respected friend Col James Monroe, I have the melancoly task of informing you that his death is inevitable, and will most probably take place before this reaches you. Mr Monroe retains entire possession of his mental faculties and with perfect firmness and integrity awaits his demise.

“Alexander Hamilton[, Jr.] to James Madison, 30 June 1831,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/99-02-02-2379. [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of James Madison. It is not an authoritative final version.]

In 1833, Alexander bought from Thomas E. Davis a Federal style townhouse constructed two years prior for his mother and his family in New York City, located at 4 St. Mark's Place in the East Village section of Manhattan, for $15,500. At the same time, Davis purchased The Grange from Elizabeth - age 76 years old - for $25,000. For nine years, from 1833, to 1842, Alexander and his wife Eliza, lived there with his mother, his sister Eliza Hamilton Holly, and her husband Sidney Augustus Holly (Yes, that's three whole Elizas'). The house still survives to this day, and is known as the Hamilton-Holly house.

In 1835, Eliza and Alexander drove in a coach and four through the West travelling over four thousand miles. It was on this trip, in Illinois, where he met Abraham Lincoln in a grocery store. Lincoln was reportedly; “lying upon the counter in midday telling stories.” [x]

When Eliza Knox died July 21st of 1871, Alexander moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey. Before residing in New York City, where he lived his last few years before dying August 2nd, 1875, at his home, 83 Clinton Place, in Greenwich Village. The couple seemed to have been happily in love, and never had any children.

Hope this helps, and you're welcome!

[anomalous-antagonist]

AFTER THE WAR, I WENT BACK TO NEW YORK A-AFTER THE WAR I WENT BACK TO NEW YORK, I FINISHED UP MY STUDIES, AND I PRACTICED LAW, I PRACTICED LAW, BURR WORKED NEXT DOOR, EVEN THOUGH WE STARTED AT THE VERY SAME TIME, ALEXANDER HAMILTON BEGAN TO CLIMB, HOW TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS RAISE TO THE TOP? MANNN, THE MAN IS NON-STOP!

"...You're annoying"

[gracehosborn]

A map of Hamilton’s law offices as seen on page 333 of The Law Practice of Alexander Hamilton: Volume I, edited by Julius Goebel.

This map was a surprise find inside this volume, and a very insightful and helpful one at that. The key also includes other important locations, and years of operation for each office Hamilton held throughout his career.

[dreams-of-mutiny]

MORTIMER ADLER’S READING LIST (PART 2)

Reading list from ���How To Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler (1972 edition).

Alexander Pope: Essay on Criticism; Rape of the Lock; Essay on Man

Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu: Persian Letters; Spirit of Laws

Voltaire: Letters on the English; Candide; Philosophical Dictionary

Henry Fielding: Joseph Andrews; Tom Jones

Samuel Johnson: The Vanity of Human Wishes; Dictionary; Rasselas; The Lives of the Poets

David Hume: Treatise on Human Nature; Essays Moral and Political; An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: On the Origin of Inequality; On the Political Economy; Emile, The Social Contract

Laurence Sterne: Tristram Shandy; A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy

Adam Smith: The Theory of Moral Sentiments; The Wealth of Nations

Immanuel Kant: Critique of Pure Reason; Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals; Critique of Practical Reason; The Science of Right; Critique of Judgment; Perpetual Peace

Edward Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Autobiography

James Boswell: Journal; Life of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D.

Antoine Laurent Lavoisier: Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (Elements of Chemistry)

Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison: Federalist Papers

Jeremy Bentham: Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation; Theory of Fictions

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust; Poetry and Truth

Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier: Analytical Theory of Heat

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: Phenomenology of Spirit; Philosophy of Right; Lectures on the Philosophy of History

William Wordsworth: Poems

Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Poems; Biographia Literaria

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice; Emma

Carl von Clausewitz: On War

Stendhal: The Red and the Black; The Charterhouse of Parma; On Love

Lord Byron: Don Juan

Arthur Schopenhauer: Studies in Pessimism

Michael Faraday: Chemical History of a Candle; Experimental Researches in Electricity

Charles Lyell: Principles of Geology

Auguste Comte: The Positive Philosophy

Honore de Balzac: Père Goriot; Eugenie Grandet

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Representative Men; Essays; Journal

Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy in America

John Stuart Mill: A System of Logic; On Liberty; Representative Government; Utilitarianism; The Subjection of Women; Autobiography

Charles Darwin: The Origin of Species; The Descent of Man; Autobiography

Charles Dickens: Pickwick Papers; David Copperfield; Hard Times

Claude Bernard: Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine

Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience; Walden

Karl Marx: Capital; Communist Manifesto

George Eliot: Adam Bede; Middlemarch

Herman Melville: Moby-Dick; Billy Budd

Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment; The Idiot; The Brothers Karamazov

Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary; Three Stories

Henrik Ibsen: Plays

Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace; Anna Karenina; What is Art?; Twenty-Three Tales

Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Mysterious Stranger

William James: The Principles of Psychology; The Varieties of Religious Experience; Pragmatism; Essays in Radical Empiricism

Henry James: The American; ‘The Ambassadors

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche: Thus Spoke Zarathustra; Beyond Good and Evil; The Genealogy of Morals; The Will to Power

Jules Henri Poincare: Science and Hypothesis; Science and Method

Sigmund Freud: The Interpretation of Dreams; Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis; Civilization and Its Discontents; New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

George Bernard Shaw: Plays and Prefaces

Max Planck: Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory; Where Is Science Going?; Scientific Autobiography

Henri Bergson: Time and Free Will; Matter and Memory; Creative Evolution; The Two Sources of Morality and Religion

John Dewey: How We Think; Democracy and Education; Experience and Nature; Logic; the Theory of Inquiry

Alfred North Whitehead: An Introduction to Mathematics; Science and the Modern World; The Aims of Education and Other Essays; Adventures of Ideas

George Santayana: The Life of Reason; Skepticism and Animal Faith; Persons and Places

Lenin: The State and Revolution

Marcel Proust: Remembrance of Things Past

Bertrand Russell: The Problems of Philosophy; The Analysis of Mind; An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth; Human Knowledge, Its Scope and Limits

Thomas Mann: The Magic Mountain; Joseph and His Brothers

Albert Einstein: The Meaning of Relativity; On the Method of Theoretical Physics; The Evolution of Physics

James Joyce: ‘The Dead’ in Dubliners; A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Ulysses

Jacques Maritain: Art and Scholasticism; The Degrees of Knowledge; The Rights of Man and Natural Law; True Humanism

Franz Kafka: The Trial; The Castle

Arnold J. Toynbee: A Study of History; Civilization on Trial

Jean Paul Sartre: Nausea; No Exit; Being and Nothingness

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The First Circle; The Cancer Ward

Source: mortimer-adlers-reading-list

[laiqualaurelote]

Three-Legged Puppy Fics

List five of your least-popular fics, as well as when/why you wrote them.

we don't print retractions: Hamilton (Angelica Schuyler/John Barker Church, Alexander Hamilton/Eliza Schuyler, 2021)

This is a Hamilton AU where everyone works in journalism (except Peggy. Peggy works in marketing). It came to me because of the line from Washington On My Side - "we smack each other in the press and we don't print retractions" - and then I thought, what if they were the press? and also there really isn't enough good Angelica POV in this fandom when she is competent and ambitious and yes she and Hamilton have chemistry but what if they were also colleagues on the same footing, competing for the same front page? and so is Burr, while dying slowly of FOMO? Thomas Jefferson as the news editor from hell who probably once was a very good reporter but should absolutely not have been allowed to supervise other people? Eliza as the world's sweetest copyed? You just know Alexander would go ham if he got his own podcast. I have thought of journalism AUs for every fandom I have been in, it's just a question of fruition.

ain't practical, a world you can't touch: The English (Cornelia/Eli, 2022)

This was a Pushing Daisies AU prompted by a throwaway line in @sagiow's fic about Cornelia baking pies with her son. Many of my fic premises also come from taking things people say in shows literally and so when Eli said, "Ain't practical, a world you can't touch," a lightbulb went off in my head and then it became a way of giving them something better while taking away something else, an exchange that for me is necessary in any attempted fix-it for The English.

The Seven People You Meet In Mexico: The Sandman/Once Upon A Time In Mexico crossover (AO3 timestamp for this is 2013, which is when I got my account, but I'm gonna say 2007? 2008?)

When I was a teenager I had a Robert Rodriguez phase and a Johnny Depp phase (the latter has aged poorly) and the two dovetailed spectacularly in Once Upon A Time In Mexico. I honestly can't remember how this fic came about - maybe because it occurred to me that Sands probably was already acquainted with Delirium, and then it was just a question of him and El Mariachi meeting all the other Endless. It's been really strange revisiting this bit of juvenilia, especially after the Sandman Netflix.

Solving Your Life One Problem At A Time: Inglourious Basterds (Donny Donowitz/Smithson Utivich, 2010)

I also had a Tarantino phase as a teenager, and spent a heady few months in the Inglourious Basterds LiveJournal community (never been in a fandom with so much Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, ground was positively littered with them). This is a canon-divergent AU in which Operation Kino does not happen and nearly all the Basterds survive WWII; what would these completely deranged people do after the war in a civilian context? I have been thinking about Inglourious Basterds again recently because I am trying to learn Italian but I feel like Brad Pitt saying "Buongiorno" in the most godawful accent.

The Happiness Of Having Her With Me Unto Death: Great Expectations (one-sided Pip/Estella Havisham, 2009)

As part of my A-level revision I decided to write zombie apocalypse AUs for all of my literature texts. I managed Great Expectations and Proof (the David Auburn play about mathematics) but could not make zombie!Hamlet work.

I have always been obsessed with Estella Havisham. Someday I will write the AU where she arranges the "accidental" death of her abusive husband and teams up with Éponine Thénardier from Les Misérables and Maggie Tulliver from The Mill on the Floss, who have both survived their respective novels, to run a criminal empire. Estella is the Face, Maggie is the Brains and 'Ponine, she knows her way around. They blackmail Jaggers into helping them dodge the law. By the time Estella meets Pip again she is queen of the London underworld. She has finally, truly become her father's daughter.

Thank you @leupagus for the tag forever ago! Tagging - anyone who would like to give their rare fics some love. While we are at it I should add that @leupagus is one of the loveliest people I've had the good fortune to meet through fandom, she has been so kind to me even though she has no idea who I am, I could be a mermaid in a cistern for all she knows.

[theworstfoundingfathers]

Who is the worst? Round 1: Robert Livingston vs Aaron Burr

Robert Robert Livingston (November 27, 1746 (Old Style November 16) – February 26, 1813) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor" after the high New York state legal office he held for 25 years. He was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Roger Sherman. Livingston administered the oath of office to George Washington when he assumed the presidency April 30, 1789. Livingston was also elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1801.

Livingston, a member of a large and prominent family, was known for continually quarreling with his relatives.

In 1789, Livingston joined the Jeffersonian Republicans (later known as the Democratic-Republicans), forming an uneasy alliance with his previous rival George Clinton and Aaron Burr, then a political newcomer. Livingston opposed the Jay Treaty and other initiatives of the Federalist Party, founded and led by his former colleagues Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. He ran for governor of New York as a Democratic-Republican, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent governor John Jay in the 1798 election.

Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexander Hamilton that culminated with Burr killing Hamilton in a duel in 1804, while Burr was vice president.

Burr traveled west to the American frontier, seeking new economic and political opportunities. His secretive activities led to his 1807 arrest in Alabama on charges of treason. He was brought to trial more than once for what became known as the Burr conspiracy, an alleged plot to create an independent country led by Burr, but was acquitted each time. With large debts and few influential friends, Burr left the United States to live as an expatriate in Europe. He returned in 1812 and resumed practicing law in New York City. Burr's brief second marriage resulted in divorce and further scandal. Handicapped by a stroke and financially ruined, Burr died at a boarding house in 1836.

[petervintonjr]

"We, the people. It's a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that 'We, the people.' I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in We, the people. Today I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution." --from Barbara Jordan's opening remarks to the House Judiciary Committee on July 24, 1974, regarding the impeachment of Richard Nixon

Today, June 1, kicks off Pride Month (and also incidentally marks the third anniversary of the start of this series), and I thought it appropriate to examine the amazing accomplishments of Texas civil rights leader, attorney, and Congresswoman Barbara Charline Jordan.

Born in a poor Houston neighborhood in 1936, Jordan discovered an early aptitude for languages and oration, and also debate. She graduated from Texas Southern University in 1956, then obtained her LL.B. from Boston University School of Law in 1959. She was admitted to both the Massachusetts and Texas bars in 1960, then began practicing law in Houston --at the time only the third African American woman to be so licensed. An outspoken supporter of John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, she herself entered politics and unsuccessfully ran for state representative in 1962 and again in 1964. Two years later her fortunes changed, however, and in 1966 she became the first African American elected to the Texas Senate in 1966.

Jordan's standing as a fellow Texan Democrat endeared her to then-President Lyndon Johnson and in many respects she became LBJ's protégée. In 1972 Jordan ran for Congress for Texas's 18th District, and unseated the incumbent Republican, becoming the first woman --of any race-- elected to Congress from that state.

Jordan's political career accomplishments extend far beyond this biography's available space, but among the high points include her aggressive sponsorship of the Voting Rights Act of 1975 (an extension of the more famous 1965 measure), and the Equal Rights Amendment in 1977. Also significantly she served on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings, and her speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention is widely regarded as one of the best keynote speeches in modern history; her presence in many ways even eclipsing that of the party's nominee, Jimmy Carter. (She would return as a keynote speaker for the 1992 Democratic National Convention.)

Jordan retired from politics in 1978 and became a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1993 Jordan was the first recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. A year later she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton for her trailblazing work. That same year Jordan was also named the chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. Jordan died from complications from pneumonia in January of 1996, and is buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin --significantly breaking barriers even in death as the first-ever black woman to be interred there. While Jordan never explicitly acknowledged her personal sexual orientation in public, she was open about her life partner of nearly 30 years, educational psychologist Nancy Earl.

Her legacy continues through the Jordan Rustin Coalition (named for her and for Civil Rights organizer Bayard Rustin --see Lesson #05 in this series): a non-profit advocacy group working to empower Black same-gender loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families; and to promote equal marriage rights and to advocate for fair treatment of everyone without regard to race, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Full text of Jordan's July 24, 1974 remarks: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/impeachment/my-faith-constitution-whole-it-complete-it-total

A truly absorbing 1976 article about Jordan's life and career by William Broyles, indexed at: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-making-of-barbara-jordan-2/