Theodosia Burr: Teen Eyewitness to the Founding of the New Nation

by Karen Cherro Quiñones

Overview

Theodosia Burr, daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr, came of age in New York City when the New Nation was growing up. She attended the inauguration of President George Washington in 1789, was at her father's side on the campaign trail and at his inauguration in 1801, attended presidential addresses to Congress, and hosted the most prominent politicians and thinkers of her time.



The Burrs' ideas about educating young women were revolutionary. Theodosia was an experiment in the equal treatment of women—regardless of social status—in education, family life, society, and the law. The family believed that women had an important role to play in the New Nation, and Theodosia was fully prepared.



Based on research at libraries and archives, and from the rich body of letters Theodosia and her family left behind, this historical narrative introduces readers to a most unusual girl who pursued a radical new path for women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541542754
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Karen Cherro Quiñones became interested in the early history of New York City while working in the Wall Street area where many sites dating to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries can still be seen. She eventually left her corporate career to become a full-time historian. Her favorite thing to do is teach others about the wonderful people, events, and places that came before us. Quiñones is the founder of Patriot Tours (www.patriottoursnyc.com), leading groups on history tours in New York on most days of the week. She can often be seen on the Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum. Follow her on social media, where she writes about American history as PatriotToursNYC.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Most students have heard of Aaron Burr, but his daughter Theodosia may be lesser known. As the child of a prominent family, Theodosia Burr was educated, articulate, and busy. Primarily through letters, researchers have pieced together a life of service that was equal parts quiet and outspoken. Her father invested in his daughter's studies by providing mentorship, tutors, and lessons on how to host state dinners and pick a suitable partner. This biography is short and direct. Burr's story sets the stage for details about the excitement of the birth of the nation. Quinones chronologically details Burr's relationships, particularly with her parents, as well as her role as a literary salon host and her experience visiting the South Carolina plantation of her future husband, Joseph Alston. Burr's life was cut short by tragic circumstances that are still disputed. In 1812, she boarded a ship from South Carolina to return home to New York. The ship 'disappeared.' Some suspect that it was sunk by a storm, but others thought pirates raided the ship and killed those on board. Burr's body was never found. VERDICT This formidable but brief biography is a useful purchase for school libraries and an additional purchase for public ones. Readers wanting to dig deeper after seeing Hamilton will benefit from a read."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

01/01/2020

Gr 7–10—Most students have heard of Aaron Burr, but his daughter Theodosia may be lesser known. As the child of a prominent family, Theodosia Burr was educated, articulate, and busy. Primarily through letters, researchers have pieced together a life of service that was equal parts quiet and outspoken. Her father invested in his daughter's studies by providing mentorship, tutors, and lessons on how to host state dinners and pick a suitable partner. This biography is short and direct. Burr's story sets the stage for details about the excitement of the birth of the nation. Quinones chronologically details Burr's relationships, particularly with her parents, as well as her role as a literary salon host and her experience visiting the South Carolina plantation of her future husband, Joseph Alston. Burr's life was cut short by tragic circumstances that are still disputed. In 1812, she boarded a ship from South Carolina to return home to New York. The ship "disappeared." Some suspect that it was sunk by a storm, but others thought pirates raided the ship and killed those on board. Burr's body was never found. VERDICT This formidable but brief biography is a useful purchase for school libraries and an additional purchase for public ones. Readers wanting to dig deeper after seeing Hamilton will benefit from a read.—Alicia Abdul, Albany High School, NY

School Library Journal

2019-11-17
The life and times of Theodosia Burr (1783-1812), daughter of Aaron Burr, third vice president of the United States, best known today from the hit musical Hamilton.

In presenting the story of Burr, the author uses correspondence and memoirs of contemporaries to provide a portal to the past. Readers learn that Theodosia had an unusual childhood. Her father believed in Mary Wollstonecraft's feminist theories; Theodosia studied a curriculum equal to that of boys. As an upper-class girl from a prominent New York family, she had opportunities to meet and mingle with men who became household names in the early history of the U.S. Details about Theodosia's upbringing, education, and activities are interspersed with information providing additional historical context. The writing is crisp, clear, and engaging. Full-color illustrations add visual appeal. The book does not delve much into issues of racial or ethnic diversity; there is a brief note about the Lenape, and the book notes that although Burr married a Southerner and lived on a plantation, there is no record of her thoughts on slavery. Although she died young under tragic and mysterious circumstances, Burr's prominence as an educated, modern woman made her a role model for her time.

Interesting and accessible way to learn about early U.S. history through a remarkable young woman's life. (timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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