The Framers’ Intentions

Today is the 214th anniversary of the duel to which Vice President Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton died 36 hours later after being shot by Burr.  The duel was fought at a time when the practice was being outlawed in the northern United States.

Why did a founding father of the United States of America find it necessary to accept the duel challenge? Wikipedia says that the Heights of Weehawken, New Jersey was a popular dueling ground below the towering cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades.

It just struck me very strongly that the fact that DUELING was still popular and apparently accepted among at least some of our founding fathers SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A WARNING.

My opinion of “originalism” in Constitutional interpretation just deteriorated. Not that it was high to start with.

Why “Conservatives” want to conserve the barbaric concepts from the past is something I fail to understand. At the time of the founding of the country, we gave lip service to equality. It’s time to take action to elect and support people who will work to promote equality. And trying to act like we can have equality in the US when it’s not present all over the globe is a farce.

May all beings be happy. May all beings have the causes of happiness.

Also via Scott’s Daily Prompt:

Release us from the worst of the framers’ intentions!

Published by

Shona

Engineering consultant by day, science fiction writer in off hours.

2 thoughts on “The Framers’ Intentions”

  1. Time passes. We progress in painstakingly slow degrees, still struggling to live up to ideals formed years ago. In the meantime, be happy, be well!

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