Which figure, once Vice President, killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and was later charged with treason?

• A. John Adams
• B. Aaron Burr
• C. Thomas Jefferson
• D. James Madison

Answer: (B)

Aaron Burr is the figure who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel while Burr was serving as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson. The duel happened in 1804 in Weehawken, New Jersey, and Hamilton died from his wounds. Burr later faced treason charges in 1807 for the Burr Conspiracy, a plan he was accused of to create an independent power in the western territories or to align with foreign interests. Treason requires clear evidence of waging war against the United States or giving aid and comfort to its enemies, demonstrated through overt acts and, in U.S. law, usually tied to the two-witness rule in the Constitution. Burr was ultimately acquitted because the evidence did not meet that standard. The other figures listed were not the person who killed Hamilton nor the one charged with treason in this historical episode.