6. Aaron Burr Goes West

With the purchase of New Orleans in 1802, Spanish Louisiana became isolated from the rest of New Spain and mostly unprotected from British or American incursions. Both powers eyed the territory greedily. But it was former vice-president Aaron Burr, who now acted as a free agent, to be the first to plunge in for the win.  

Apparently, and while he was still Vice-President, Burr had met with the British ambassador to discuss a plan to break off New Orleans from the US and establish a “Southwestern Republic” under the protection of a European sponsor. Burr’s Vice-Presidency ended after he got tangled into a duel with the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The duel resulted in Hamilton’s death and Burr being accused of murder. With his political career apparently over, Burr placed his western plan into motion. 

With the rebellions in New Spain increasing day by day and the scramble between the U.S., Britain, France, and Spain over the remainder of the Louisiana territory Burr realized the needed war was eminent. Convinced that he could claim Louisiana or Tejas for himself with a relatively small force when war finally broke out, Burr leased 40,000 acres of land from the Spanish government. And allied himself with James Wilkinson, who was the governor of New Orleans, and the Anglo-Irish aristocrat Herman Blennerhassett. Wilkinson offered the possibility of breaking off New Orleans while Blennerhassett had enough capital and resources to pull off the conspiracy. The final pieces of the conspiracy fell into place early in 1806 when the French minister contacted Burr guaranteeing French support. France was not keen in seeing the United States or Britain create a colossus in North America and Burr’s success could help prevent this. Furthermore they saw Burr's plan as a way to deal with the growing problem of piracy around the Spanish territories of  Louisiana and Tejas. [1]

By the time President Jefferson was informed of Blurr’s plans, and Burr was declared a traitor, the former Vice-President was already safely settled in Tejas, which at that point was still part of New Spain, with a small band of farmer-soldiers in for the venture. His plan was straightforward: initiate a rebellion, declare Tejas independent from Spain and once a war broke out over Louisiana move into New Orleans where the new state would be based in. 

“In New York I am to be disenfranchised, and in New Jersey hanged. You will not…conclude that I have become disposed to submit tamely to the machinations of a banditti.” - Aaron Burr on his flight westwards. 

[1] Small butterfly of Spain keeping the majority of Louisiana a bit longer means there is a larger safe-haven for pirates like Pierre and Jean Lafitte.