. >> we will turn to the trial of aaron burr. you mentioned in your book that the tension between jefferson and marshall came to the forefront during the trial in some of the run-up to it. tell us a little about that. >> two things that i would like to mention first about the trial of aaron burr for treason -- gets important to do this because two large extent the trial of aaron burr writing has been overlooked in history. particularly where it took place near richmond. first the trial for treason was probably the most important single event ever to take place in the city of richmond. you could mention the surrender of the city to the yankees any team 65 but i think that the trial still ranks right up there at the head of the patch with apologies to o.j. simpson. [laughter] i think the trial may well be the most important that ever took place in the united states. here you have a former vice president of the united states being prosecuted for treason. the prosecution being initiated by thomas jefferson president of the united pre

now what did aaron burr do to deserve all this attention? no one knows exactly but what he was accused of number one jefferson blamed her for not withdrawing when the election of 1800 and the house of representatives. burr had run as the vice presidential candidate with jefferson and because of the quirky way in which the electoral college votes were counted in those days they passed and election was thrown into the house of representatives. it took over 30 ballots to decide that jefferson was president of the united states. jefferson never forgive burr. he felt that burr should ever sign anything. he also kills alexander hamilton in duel in 1804 so when jefferson heard from his commander general wilkinson in new orleans that his city was under threat from a force led by burr he seized the opportunity to have burr prosecuted. very little is known about what burr actually did. the one thing that was known is that he and irish nobleman plotted to have what turned out to be fewer than 100 men get on the island in the middle of the ohio river whi

the aaron bur burr trial. the sam shepherd case went to trial and was reversed for that same reason. americans can set aside their biases and be fair but i do think judges have a terrible burden in these kind of cases to find the 12 to 18 people, you've got to find some alternates, listen to the law the facts jury instructions and put aside everything. >> we've got two disparate things awaiting the results of the study now we have the utah house has approved firing squad as a way of getting the death penalty. it has to pass the senate and then signed by the governor but -- >> because they're to concerned about lethal injection which is the united states supreme court is going to take another look at given botched injections.

there were efforts later as well that become famous with the story about aaron burr later. one of the problems we have with that is that spain closed its records -- its private archives so tightly back then and a lot of it isn't available that we know. that's what -- there were certain efforts. washington was convinced and so were some of the later u.s. governors out there that the territory -- that washington -- that spain had a real chance of winning that part of the west. of course, at this time we're talking about, britain is making strong efforts to regain something as well. they were working with vermont and they were playing in the northwest territories in hope to get that chunk. i think washington was right when he said, these frontiersmen are on a pivot. that was a phrase. he believed it and that was a driving force -- driving argument for a stronger constitution. back there. >> i'm a little confused about the canals. i know that george washington had a lot to do with the canal that starts at great falls, virginia. i know about the -- you are talking about the succ

she moved later to the washington city at the age of 25, aaron burr and james madison introduced her. she was married. we know that she had an outgoing personality and made up for the shy of her husband during his presidency. she helped receptions for all of the citizens. she felt like the dignitaries and citizens alike were as important. she had an intuition to make people comfortable, and it was often said that you did not know who is a friend or foe. after james died, ali began to return on and off to washington -- dolley began to return on enough to washington. her sons that's where mounting and she was as bit -- it was evident she was becoming vested in--destitute. a trust fund was set up for her by members of congress so that she could be protected as she began to age. when she moved back to the city as a widow, and alone, she had a nice anna, who lived with her. when dolly madison died, she had cash to leave anna and her son, but keep left it to her son. he began to squander those and at his death, there was in austin -- auction. and i and her husband purchased as much of the m