17. Whilst still serving as Vice President, Aaron Burr initiated a conspiracy to steal the Louisiana Purchase and found a new nation under his rule on the North American continent
The 3rd Vice President of the United States, serving from 1801-1805, whilst still in office Aaron Burr sought to elicit the support of the British for the secession of Louisiana. Failing to convince the British to finance his efforts, after leaving office Burr began gathering support for the seizure of a huge portion of North America and the formation of a new, independent nation. Intending to raise an army, with objectives ranging from claiming for himself much of the lands gained during the Louisiana Purchase to the conquest of Mexico, in 1806 one of Burr’s co-conspirators, General James Wilkinson, revealed the plot to President Jefferson.
Warned by Wilkinson that Burr was “meditating the overthrow of [his] administration” and “conspiring against the State”, Jefferson alerted Congress and ordered Burr’s immediate arrest. Charged with treason and conspiracy, the trial established several historic limits on executive privilege and the legal rights of a sitting president. Overseen by Chief Justice Marshall, Burr was ultimately acquitted on charges of treason, despite more than 140 witnesses testifying against him, on the grounds that intent without action was not sufficient for a conviction. Ending Burr’s political ambitions, he fled to Europe under an assumed name to escape his debtors.