Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ron ChernowEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2004-04-26
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 832
Publisher: Penguin Press
Book Reviews of Alexander Hamilton
Book Review: A Critical Book for All, but Particularly for High School Students
Summary: 5 Stars
Gads! An eight hundred plus page book! Please do not let that bother you in the least. Through Ron Chernow's elegant prose, the reader will be taken on a journey that travels at Warp speed. Alexander Hamilton is an easy, comfortable read. Completely captivating and engrossing.
On each page, Chernow masterfully brings Hamilton to life; from his birth as a bastard child born into poverty in the West Indies, to his passage to America where through sheer force of will, exceptional intellect, and uncanny vision, he reinvented himself by severing all ties with his past in order to build a new identity. From there, Chernow meticulously describes Hamilton's matriculation at King's College, his service as an officer during the American Revolution, his participation in the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and his service as the first secretary of the treasury. Indeed, when reading Hamilton's compelling story, particularly in Chernow's storytelling fashion, one is struck by the tragedy that today's high school students are only peripherally exposed to this pivotal character, if they are exposed to him at all.
Critically, Chernow does not evade or gloss over Hamilton's many failings. Nor does he exaggerate them. Like any good historian, Chernow simply presents the information and lets the reader decide. Through primary sources such as letters, journals, and the like, Hamilton - not Chernow - demonstrated himself to be a man wrought by many insecurities that all but haunted him throughout his life. He was a man given to great emotions - emotions that plagued his very existence and occasionally made it difficult for him to endure. He brooded frequently and was downtrodden.
In-spite of possessing an intellect that was instrumental in shaping the modern world, Hamilton nevertheless embroiled himself in the nation's first political sexual scandal by bungling his way into an extramarital affair with a woman, who along with her husband, successfully blackmailed him for years. In making these ill-gotten payments, Hamilton lamented, "The truth was that . . . I dreaded extremely a disclosure (to his wife, the daughter of a wealthy and influential New Yorker) - and was willing to make large sacrifices to avoid it." The story about the affair is almost too painful to read as one is left wondering how the father of America's international economy could possibly be that stupid, particularly time and time again.
And today, within the sexual realm, there is controversy surrounding Hamilton's perceived homosexuality. Not that that was controversial at the time, but today it is an inescapably fascinating element of the story. Again, Chernow simply lays out incontrovertible facts, a primary reason as to why the book is such an excellent source for those who are interested in that aspect of Hamilton's life. As presented by Chernow, according to biographer James T. Flexner, correspondences between Hamilton and John Laurens, a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army, who along with Hamilton had served on Washington's staff, evidenced "homoerotic overtones." The letters and references to them are provided for anyone to read.
In explaining Hamilton's complex, and indeed perplexing personality, Chernow articulates his religious views - a subject that is significant being that the religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers is such fodder for great debate today. Hamilton, although a devoted Christian, did not embrace the Calvinistic notion of a vengeful God who ruled through the doctrine of predestination. Rather he believed in a "sunny, fair minded" God who was loving and engaged. But unassailably, unlike the Deist and Hamilton's archrival Thomas Jefferson, Christianity was an integral component to Hamilton's experiences and outlook on life.
Probably the main reason for the length of the book would have been that given Hamilton's countless accomplishments, a shorter book would have been impossible. Hamilton espoused a centralized government and a professional army under civilian control. Through Hamilton, America created a national free market economy that eventually spread across the globe. He also enacted economic constraints, believing that a regulated economy was essential to the free flow of currency in exchange for goods and services. He incorporated marketing principals, facilitated foreign commerce, and ensured flexibility in stimulating trade. In short, he took Adam Smith's vision of divisible work and mechanization and applied it to not only the country, but to the world - no small accomplishment because as Chernow observed, "he had no precedents to guide him."
But as was always the case, there was a dichotomy. While Hamilton vociferously advocated for freedom, according to Chernow, he probably had " . . . the gravest doubts about the wisdom of the masses and wanted elected leaders who would guide them. This was the great paradox of his career: his optimistic view of America's potential coexisted with an essentially pessimistic view of human nature. His faith in America never quite matched his faith in America itself."
While Chernow obviously covered Hamilton's involvement in the development of the Federalist Papers, among other seminal political treatises, perhaps the most interesting facet of his political life, to Jefferson's continual consternation, was his views about foreign affairs. In this, Hamilton was virtually an Orwellian visionary.
Well before University of Chicago Professor Hans Morgenthau postulated political realism in his classic Politics Among Nations in 1978, Hamilton, studying European affairs, found that "countries follow their interests, not their sympathies." When advocating for the Neutrality Act of 1794, Hamilton concluded that foreign policy should be predicated upon national self interest, not "emotional attachments," a fascinating conclusion 184 years before Morgenthau. And significantly, political realism, to one extent or another, would prove to be the foundation of American foreign policy up until the arrival of the Bush Administration and the formulation of American Exceptionalism.
Hamilton, the genius but in many respects, tortured soul that he was, saw it all. As Chernow observed, "While others maintained that a wide ocean insulated America from European threats, Hamilton saw a country enmeshed in a shrinking world: `the improvements in the art of navigation have . . . rendered distant nations in a great measure neighbors.'" From the perspective of Eighteenth Century America, Hamilton saw the future of the world. It was as if he had seen the supersonic age. There are many biographies about Hamilton, but few better than Chernow's book. Through Chernow, one can intimately see the strength of Hamilton's character, the brilliance of his mind, and the sorrow that permeated his being. It is a must read and for those who teach high school, the book is of paramount importance. Nothing captivates a wondering mind more than a good story and Chernow certainly told one.
Summary of Alexander Hamilton
Ron Chernow, the renowned author of Titan whom the New York Times has called ?as elegant an architect of monumental histories as we?ve seen in decades,? vividly re-creates the whole sweep of Alexander Hamilton?s turbulent life?his exotic, brutal upbringing; his titanic feuds with celebrated rivals; his pivotal role in defining the shape of the federal government and the American economy; his shocking illicit romances; his enlightened abolitionism; and his famous death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July 1804. Drawing upon extensive, unparalleled research? including nearly fifty previously undiscovered essays highlighting Hamilton?s fiery journalism as well as his revealing missives to colleagues and friends?this biography of the extraordinarily gifted founding father who galvanized, inspired, and scandalized the newborn nation is the work by which all others will be measured.Building on biographies by Richard Brookhiser and Willard Sterne Randall, Ron Chernow?s Alexander Hamilton provides what may be the most comprehensive modern examination of the often overlooked Founding Father. From the start, Chernow argues that Hamilton?s premature death at age 49 left his record to be reinterpreted and even re-written by his more long-lived enemies, among them: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe. Hamilton?s achievements as first Secretary of the Treasury, co-author of The Federalist Papers, and member of the Constitutional Convention were clouded after his death by strident claims that he was an arrogant, self-serving monarchist. Chernow delves into the almost 22,000 pages of letters, manuscripts, and articles that make up Hamilton?s legacy to reveal a man with a sophisticated intellect, a romantic spirit, and a late-blooming religiosity.
One fault of the book, is that Chernow is so convinced of Hamilton?s excellence that his narrative sometimes becomes hagiographic. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Chernow?s account of the infamous duel between Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804. He describes Hamilton?s final hours as pious, while Burr, Jefferson, and Adams achieve an almost cartoonish villainy at the news of Hamilton?s passing.
A defender of the union against New England secession and an opponent of slavery, Hamilton has a special appeal to modern sensibilities. Chernow argues that in contrast to Jefferson and Washington?s now outmoded agrarian idealism, Hamilton was "the prophet of the capitalist revolution" and the true forebear of modern America. In his Prologue, he writes: "In all probability, Alexander Hamilton is the foremost figure in American history who never attained the presidency, yet he probably had a much deeper and more lasting impact than many who did." With Alexander Hamilton, this impact can now be more widely appreciated. --Patrick O'Kelley
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