Many believe that Hamilton had wanted Burr to kill him. It is detto that Hamilton hated himself and often had insecurities about his personality, background (given his illegitimate birth and poverty stricken childhood). It is detto that he superimposed himself onto Burr, seeing himself and all his flaws in him. Hence, in some psychobabble way...he got Burr to kill him da throwing his first shot.

However, after Leggere Chernow's work on Hamilton, it seems that Hamilton did not intend to die on that fateful summer day. In fact Hamilton did continue to make appointments with clients for legal work and he intended to meet with someone that same giorno much later.Hamilton perhaps did not intend to die. Usually in these duels of honor they resolved the conflict before it ever came to shooting.

In any case da killing Hamilton, Burr completely ruined whatever possibility he had for a comeback in his political career. Burr already had been alienated da the Jeffersonian party and the Federalist had also distrusted him.

What, I wonder, did Burr believe he would ever gain from dueling o even killing Hamilton? He was an intelligent man, did he not see that such an action would end up as political suicide. Even though at this point Hamilton had become a political has-been and even hated da notable federalists (John Adams) the man had still been largely responsible for the Union and the economic foundation all of us enjoy even to this day.

In any case both men were very sensitive to anything that would have dishonored their reputations. Hamilton did very little to try and resolve his issue with Burr and he paid for it with his life.

I guess the real victims here were Hamilton's 7(-1) children and his loyal wife Eliza. They were left with a huge debt that Hamilton had racked up da building his Grange...about 50,000...that was a hella lot of money back then.

Eliza lived up to age 97 right before the Union broke up, something that Hamilton had desperately wanted to avoid.

*sigh*