en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr
2 corrections found
with Burr becoming Jefferson's vice president due to receiving the second-highest share of the votes
Burr did not become vice president by finishing second in the electoral vote. In 1800, Jefferson and Burr tied at 73 electoral votes each, and the House chose Jefferson as president.
Full reasoning
This sentence misstates the 1800 election result. Under the pre-12th-Amendment system, electors did not cast separate presidential and vice-presidential ballots. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr each received 73 electoral votes—a tie for the highest total, not a first/second-place finish.
Authoritative records from the National Archives state that "Jefferson and Burr tied with the highest number of electoral votes" and that the House of Representatives decided the election. The House then elected Jefferson president on the 36th ballot, which made Burr vice president. So Burr did not become vice president because he received the "second-highest share" of votes; he became vice president after tying for first and losing the House contingent election for the presidency.
3 sources
- 1800 Electoral College Results | National Archives
Even though John Adams ran as Jefferson's main opponent in the general election, Jefferson and Burr tied with the highest number of electoral votes. The election was decided in the House of Representatives...
- Tally of Electoral Votes for the 1800 Presidential Election | National Archives
Because the Constitution did not distinguish between President and Vice-President... both Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr received 73 votes... on the thirty-sixth ballot, the House elected Thomas Jefferson to be President.
- Electoral College Fast Facts | U.S. House of Representatives
Because of a tie in the electoral vote between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, the House of Representatives had to decide the election... with Jefferson's election as President and Burr's as Vice President on February 17.
he began his career as a lawyer before joining the Continental Army as an officer in the American Revolutionary War in 1775
This reverses the sequence of Burr's early career. He was still studying law when the Revolution began, joined the Continental Army in 1775, and was not admitted to the bar until 1782.
Full reasoning
The chronology here is incorrect. Burr did not begin a legal career before entering the army.
Reliable biographies state that Burr studied law in Connecticut, then left those studies in 1775 after Lexington and Concord to join the Continental Army. He resigned from the army in 1779 and only later resumed his legal studies. He was admitted to the bar in 1782, which is when his legal career actually began.
So the article should distinguish between studying law before the war and beginning a career as a lawyer after the war. Saying he "began his career as a lawyer before joining the Continental Army" is factually wrong.
2 sources
- Aaron Burr | American Battlefield Trust
Burr studied theology at Princeton, but at age 19 his passions shifted, and he moved to Connecticut to study law... upon learning of Lexington and Concord in 1775, Burr left his studies for the life of a soldier... Burr continued his study of law and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1782.
- Aaron Burr | American Battlefield Trust
After the defeat at the Battle of Monmouth and mounting health problems, Burr resigned from the Continental Army in 1779. Burr continued his study of law and was admitted to the bar in New York in 1782.