Editing Aaron Burr (section)

===Government===
Burr served in the [[New York State Assembly]] in 1784–85. In 1784, as an assemblyman, he unsuccessfully sought to abolish [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] immediately following the war,{{sfn|PBS|2000}} despite having owned slaves himself.<ref name="WaPo 012022">{{cite news |last1=Weil |first1=Julie Zauzmer |last2=Blanco |first2=Adrian |last3=Dominguez |first3=Leo |title=More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/ |access-date=January 30, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 20, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://slavery.princeton.edu/stories/john-pierre-burr|title=Aaron Burr Jr. and John Pierre Burr: A Founding Father and his Abolitionist Son|first=Sherri|last=Burr|website=slavery.princeton.edu}}</ref> He also continued his military service as a lieutenant colonel and commander of a regiment in the militia brigade commanded by William Malcolm.{{sfn|Documents of the Senate of the State of New York|1902|p=108}} He became seriously involved in politics in 1789, when [[Governor of New York|Governor]] [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] appointed him as [[New York State Attorney General]].<ref name=nycourts/> He was also Commissioner of Revolutionary War Claims.<ref name=biosenate>{{Cite web|title=Burr, Aaron|url= https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=b001133|access-date=March 13, 2025|via=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress}}</ref>

In 1791, Burr was elected by the legislature as a [[United States Senator]] from [[New York (state)|New York]], defeating incumbent General [[Philip Schuyler]].<ref name=biosenate/><ref name=ussenate>{{Cite web|title=Indicted Vice President Bids Senate Farewell|url= https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/indicted-vice-president-bids-senate-farewell.htm|access-date=March 13, 2025|via=[[United States Senate]]}}</ref> During his time in the [[United States Senate|Senate]], Burr made several federalist enemies due to his beliefs. One of the main things he was against was Hamilton's system in terms of finance. Due to him not approving of many federalist policies, Burr became a [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]] while in the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aaron Burr (1801-1805)|url=https://millercenter.org/president/jefferson/essays/burr-1801-vicepresident|access-date=March 17, 2025|via=[[Miller Center]]}}</ref> In 1795, while many were debating on the [[Jay Treaty]], Burr gave a speech on the matter, further showing how he was becoming a part of the Democratic-Republican party.<ref name=monticello>{{Cite web|title=Aaron Burr|url=https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/aaron-burr|access-date=March 19, 2025|via=Monticello.org}}</ref> In Burr's last year of being a senator, he opposed Washington's foreigner policy in [[George Washington's Farewell Address|Washington's Farewell Address]].<ref name=ussenate/> Rather than trying to be reelected, Burr resigned from the Senate in 1797, after only one term.<ref name=ussenate/>

Burr ran in the [[1796 United States presidential election|1796 presidential election]] and received 30 [[United States Electoral College|electoral vote]]s, coming in fourth behind [[John Adams]], [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[Thomas Pinckney]].<ref>Members of the electoral college in the 18th century cast two ballots but did not specify an office. The first-place finisher overall became president and the runner-up vice president. They did not run on a "ticket" and were often opponents.</ref> He was shocked by this defeat, but many Democratic-Republican electors voted for Jefferson and a candidate other than Burr.{{sfn|Isenberg|2007|p=153}}

[[President of the United States|President]] [[John Adams]] appointed Washington as commanding general of U.S. forces in 1798, but he rejected Burr's application for a brigadier general's commission during the [[Quasi-War]] with [[French First Republic|France]]. Washington wrote, "By all that I have known and heard, Colonel Burr is a brave and able officer, but the question is whether he has not equal talents at intrigue."{{sfn|Lomask|1979|p=215}} Burr returned to the New York State Assembly in 1798 and served there through 1799.{{sfn|Office of Art and Archives|n.d.}} During this time, he cooperated with the [[Holland Land Company]] in gaining passage of a law to permit [[Alien (law)|aliens]] to hold and convey lands.{{sfn|Steiner|1907}} National parties became clearly defined during Adams' presidency, and Burr loosely associated himself with the Democratic-Republicans. However, he had moderate [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] allies such as Senator [[Jonathan Dayton]] of New Jersey.<ref>{{cite book| url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/RevWar/ss/ss-fm.htm| title = Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution| id = CMH Pub 71-25| chapter = David Brearly| location = Washington D.C.| publisher = United States Army Center of Military History| first1 = Robert K. Jr.| last1 = Wright| first2 = Morris J. Jr.| last2 = MacGregor| access-date = March 6, 2025| archive-date = October 9, 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191009074857/https://history.army.mil/books/RevWar/ss/ss-fm.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref>