Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr - Nancy Isenberg

Painting Aaron Burr as a hero of the Revolutionary War, the definitive biography overturns the myths and images many people have of him. 16 photos. 4 maps. From the author of White Trash and The Problem of Democracy, a controversial challenge to the views of the Founding Fathers offered by Ron Chernow and David McCullough Lin-Manuel Miranda's play Hamilton has reignited interest in the founding fathers; and it features Aaron Burr among its vibrant cast of characters. With Fallen Founder , Nancy Isenberg plumbs rare and obscure sources to shed new light on everyone's favorite founding villain. The Aaron Burr whom we meet through Isenberg's eye-opening biography is a feminist, an Enlightenment figure on par with Jefferson, a patriot, and--most importantly--a man with powerful enemies in an age of vitriolic political fighting. Revealing the gritty reality of eighteenth-century America, Fallen Founder is the authoritative restoration of a figure who ran afoul of history and a much-needed antidote to the hagiography of the revolutionary era.