Hamilton! The Musical. The Biography. Do We Need to Reconsider our Founding Fathers, Dueling, and Mt. Rushmore?

The Best Paragraphs I've Read: "It is puzzling that Aaron Burr is sometimes classified among the founding fathers.  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Franklin, and Hamilton all left behind papers that run to dozens of thick volumes, packed with profound ruminations.  They fought for high ideals.  By contrast Burr’s editors have been able to eke out just two volumes of his letters, many full of gossip, tittle-tattle, hilarious anecdotes, and racy asides about his sexual escapades.  He produced no major papers on policy matters,constitutional issues, or government institutions.  Where Hamilton was often more interested in policy than politics, Burr seemed interested only in politics.  At a time of tremendous ideological cleavages, Burr was an agile opportunist who maneuvered for advantage among colleagues of fixed political views." "Duels were also elaborate forms of conflict resolution, which is why duelists did not automatically try to kill their opponents.  The mere threat of gunplay concentrated the minds of antagonists, forcing them and their seconds into extensive negotiations that often ended with apologies instead of bullets.  Experience had taught Hamilton that if he was tough and agile in negotiations he could settle disputes without resort to weapons.  In the unlikely event that a duel occurred, the antagonists frequently tried only to wound each other, clipping an arm or a leg.  If both parties survived the first round of a duel, they still had a chance to pause and settle their dispute before a second round.  The point was not to exhibit deadly marksmanship; it was to demonstrate courage by submitting to the duel." "With the population widely dispersed, newspapers were unabashedly partisan organs that supplied much of the adhesive power binding the incipient parities together.  Americans were a literate people, and dozens of newspapers flourished.  The country probably had more newspapers per capita than any other.  A typical issue had four long sheets, crammed with essays and small advertisements but no drawings or illustrations.  These papers tended to be short on facts – there was little “spot news” reporting – and long on opinion.  They more closely resembled journals of opinion than daily newspapers." These paragraphs come from the biography, "Hamilton" by Ron Chernow.  This biography was the basis for the hit musical - Hamilton.     https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143034758/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VXURRPD3ZWVM&dchild=1&keywords=hamilton+book&qid=1598617246&sprefix=hamilton%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1 Zac and Don discuss their impressions of the musical and biography.  They also talk about America's Founding Fathers and ways that people can think about them today.  In addition, Zac and Don talk about the concept of Dueling and their impressions of Mt. Rushmore.