Mend it, don’t end it: optimal mortality in affairs of honor∗

Duels remained an important and surprisingly common means of conflict resolution in the American South until after the Civil War. In the North, however, these affairs of honor become rare after the 1804 interview where Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton. We examine two historical puzzles. First, why did dueling persist in the South but not the North? Second, why did duelers use relatively inaccurate weapons when deadlier weapons were available? We find the following results. One, when the public views dueling as an appropriate means of mitigating the effects of libel, then it encourages socially desirable ∗We thank an anonymous referee and seminar participants at the University of Kentucky Law School