2 déc. 1806 - Burr arrested for treason
Description:
Aaron Burr was arrested for treason against the United States, but was acquitted.
In 1804, after the Hamilton duel, Burr made contact with British minister Anthony Merry, where he proposed to assist Great Britain in taking western land from the US. Though Great Britain rejected the offer, Burr continued to gather support for his quest, including General James Wilkinson, the highest ranking officer in the US Army. In August 1806, Burr allegedly sent Wilkinson a letter, which the general used to betray Burr. He sent President Jefferson the letter as a warning that Burr was conspiring against the government. Jefferson sent militiamen to raid his outpost and many of Burr's volunteers abandoned him. Burr was captured in Alabama and arrested for treason. Though the accusations against Burr were often vague or contradictory, everyone maintained he was the ringleader. Additionally, there was no consensus on what Burr was planning, as Burr himself told people varying stories, while others still suspected he had other goals in mind.
Burr's lawyers proved that the letter Wilkinson provided was falsified, and anyway Burr's crime didn't meet the constitutional requirements for treason. There was no evidence that he had taken up arms against the US government.
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