Theodosia Burr Alston was a brilliant, independent, highly-educated and
freethinking woman in an age which valued none of those traits in females.
She was born June 21, 1783 in Albany, New York, the daughter of prominent
attorney Aaron Burr (1756-1836) and his wife, the former Mrs. Theodosia
Prevost (d. 1794), a widow. Young Theodosia spent most of her unmarried
life in New York City with her charismatic, influential father, who had
distinguished himself as an officer in the Revolutionary War. After her
mother died when Theodosia was eleven, she became her father's closest
confidante and the mistress of Richmond Hill, his New York country estate.
From her first breath of life, she was groomed and educated to become
a female Aaron Burr and take her intended station in life: nothing less
than president, queen…or empress. From her birth into Aaron Burr's
illustrious New England family; her childhood amidst the leaders and the
high society of the new nation; her marriage to Joseph Alston, a South
Carolina slave-owning aristocrat; her voyage down the Ohio River to become
the Empress of Mexico; and to her tragic and mysterious death at sea,
this is the true story of Theodosia Burr Alston, an amazing woman and
a true American prodigy.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Based on his legendary wooing of his first wife, Mrs. Theodosia Bartow
Prevost, Aaron Burr was certainly a great romancer. But based upon his
conduct during their marriage, do you consider Burr to have been a good
and faithful husband?
- Aaron Burr wholeheartedly embraced Mary Wollstonecraft's radical concept
that girls should receive the same education as boys, and gave his daughter,
Theodosia, a man's education. Do you think he did so in order to turn
Theodosia into a superior model for women of the future? Or was he chiefly
interested in creating a super-teacher for his grandson, Aaron Burr
Alston?
- When it came to marriage partners, Theodosia had her pick of good
men from the top ranks of New England society, yet she quickly married
Joseph Alston, a man she scarcely knew from a place she knew little
about. Do you believe that her brief courtship was a case of rapid enchantment
or that it was arranged by her father to enhance his political and financial
future?
- From the first weeks of her engagement until her death, virtually
all of Theodosia's women friends expressed strong negative feelings
about her husband, though few specific charges were ever made against
him. Why do you think Joseph made such a negative impression on Theodosia's
female friends?
- Within weeks after the painful birth of her son, Theodosia left South
Carolina without her husband and traveled back to New York with her
father. Was the separation logical and justified? What do you think
this says about her emotional ties to her father as opposed to the ties
she had to her new husband?
- Between her visits to her father in New York and her trips to Northern
spas in search of relief from her medical problems, Theodosia spent
almost half her married life away from her husband and her adoptive
state. Do you think Theodosia made enough effort to adjust to the new
life she had chosen in the South?
- Part of Burr's radical educational plan was to treat and educate his
daughter as though she were an adult male. This included his sharing
the intimate details of his sexual life with his daughter. Do you think
that this behavior was appropriate in the context of his educational
theories, or that it was completely inappropriate under any circumstances.
- Do you think that the "something yet more despicable" that Alexander
Hamilton said (but would neither repeat nor retract) was an allegation
that Burr had an incestuous relationship with his daughter? If so, do
you think that Hamilton's allegation was justified? Why?
- Theodosia had detailed knowledge about her father's plan to invade
Mexico and install her as empress. Given her education, training, and
personality, do you think she would have been a good ruler had her medical
problems and her father's bad luck not intervened?
- There is good evidence to support two mutually-exclusive theories
of Theodosia's death: that she was killed by land or sea pirates, or
that her ship simply sank in a hurricane. What do you think happened
during the last 24 hours of Theodosia's life? Do you think that the
"Nag's Head portrait" is a painting of Theodosia?
- The chief objective of a non-fiction book is to present facts and
educate the reader. In a novel, the chief objective is to entertain
the reader, and in the process, known facts are often changed to suit
the plot or characters. How did novelists and other writers change how
the world perceived Theodosia over the years? How would you characterize
her personality? How was she portrayed in the pirate stories and novels?
SPECIAL OFFERS FOR READING GROUPS
Reader's groups who order four or more copies direct from the publisher
receive 20% discount, books signed by the author, and free Media Mail
shipping. Call (843) 881-6080 or email readinggroupdiscounts@corinthianbooks.com
for details.
Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy will be available available
in or through any independent, chain, or online bookstore starting September
15, 2002. The finely-crafted book is printed on acid-free, eye-ease paper,
contains 416 pages, 51 portraits and illustrations, a full bibliography
and a comprehensive name and subject index. Library binding ISBN 1-929175-31-0;
softcover ISBN 1-929175-44-2. Published by Corinthian Books, P.O. Box
1898, Mr. Pleasant, SC 29465. Visit our website: www.corinthianbooks.com.
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