A closer look
Cancel culture is rough today, but historically, disagreeing on a financial bill meant catching a lead ball to the chest. While Alexander Hamilton's death by Aaron Burr is famous, dueling was bizarrely commonplace in 19th-century American politics. Lawmakers routinely shot each other over insults, policy debates, and bruised egos. Senator 'Pitchfork' Ben Tillman was known for his violent outbursts, and Representative Preston Brooks famously beat a Senator nearly to death with a cane on the Senate floor. Back then, standard political discourse just casually included the threat of premeditated murder.
