American Experience

The Duel

The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, narrator Linda Hunt says, was an 1804 gunfight between “the founder of American capitalism and the first modern American politician.” Included: profiles of Burr (1756-1836) and Hamilton (1757-1804), and sketches of the political differences between them. In the Nation's early days, the political parties had not yet taken root and, as historian Joanne Freeman puts it, “the political and the personal mixed in.” Voice of Hamilton: Rene Auberjonois. Voice of Burr: Brian Dennehy.