American Judiciary, Part 10: The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

On May 22, 1807, Aaron Burr was brought before a grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, charged with committing treason against the United States. The prosecution’s star witness, General James Wilkinson, proved to be a liability as Wilkinson was forced to admit that he had forged a letter from Burr which was the prosecution’s main piece of evidence. Regardless, the grand jury, made up mostly of Democratic-Republicans, indicted Burr for treason, the only time in our country’s history when a President or Vice President has been indicted for this crime.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the treason trial of Aaron Burr and why it still matters today.  

 

Images courtesy of the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, Wikimedia. 

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American Judiciary, Part 9: The Burr Conspiracy