Media

Video


Museum of American Finance: Lunch & Learn Series

Apr 7, 2016

Part 1: Discovering a Family Connection to the Duel (above)
Part 2: Writing About the Duel
Part 3: Events Leading to the Duel


Jim Zirin TV

John Sedgwick: What Would Hamilton and Burr Have Made of Donald Trump?
Jan 15, 2016

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, like Donald Trump, recognized that politics is war. John Sedgwick, author of "War of Two," the best-selling book about the famous duel between one of our Founding Fathers and our third Vice President, tells Jim of many parallels between the current shoot-out for the White House and the political clash that claimed Hamilton's life.

Audio

Smart People Podcast: Interviews in Education, Creativity, Business, and More!
Episode 216 - John Sedgwick - The Duel that Stunned the Nation
Nov 10, 2015

[link to podcast]

In the summer of 1804, two of America’s most eminent statesmen squared off, pistols raised, on a bluff along the Hudson River. That two such men would risk not only their lives but the stability of the young country they helped forge is almost beyond comprehension. Yet we know that it happened. The question is why? This week we talk with John Sedgwick, author of War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation, about the long-standing conflict between Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr, which eventually ended in Hamilton’s death. We also discuss the impact of Hamilton’s death on the country, why people even dueled in the first place, and how similar our political divides were even back then.

NPR All Things Considered: Author Interview
The Sedgwicks: A History of 'Madness'
Jan 6, 2007

[link to interview]

Author John Sedgwick profiles his creative and sometimes crazy clan from its roots in the American Revolution. His book, In My Blood, is subtitled "Six Generations of Madness and Desire in an American Family."

NPR All Things Considered: Commentary
Commentary: My Mother the Car
Jul 3, 2003

[link to commentary]

Commentator John Sedgwick just inherited his mother's car. He felt a little funny about it, because the car reflected all of her personal quirks: her sunglasses were still on the gearshift; the stereo speakers were all turned off on one side, because she didn't like the music coming at her from everywhere. In fact, driving her car was a little like driving his mother. Sedgwick is the author of the novel The Education of Mrs. Bemis.

Article

The New York Times: Writers on Writing
Fiction and Fact Collide With Unexpected Consequences
Jul 1, 2002
[Link to Article]