Alexander Hamilton America's Forgotten Founder (Hc) [Hardcover]

The author of Alexander Hamilton - America's Forgotten Founder brings to light the unique accomplishments that this too often overlooked founder of our republic played in the formation of our government. It is a well-researched and skillfully written book that quickly captures the attention of the reader, whether a student of American history, or a casual general browser.

This is a book that reveals both the man as well as his many outstanding and varied accomplishments in an easily understandable way. Whether during the revolution where the colonies all characteristically pulled against each other, or later when the states were reluctant to give up an inch of their sovereignty, or during the complex financial problems of the new republic, the author spotlights the most remarkable role Alexander Hamilton played in resolving what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. No other book makes Alexander Hamilton more clearly defined in an easily understandable way. Aid-de-camp and trusted confidant of General Washington, first to fire a shot at Yorktown, and later a major general, stirs any student of military history to appreciate Alexander Hamilton as the man he was. Gifted writer, financier, and first Secretary of the Treasury are only a few of his great accomplishments. Any reader of this book is left with a lot more to remember of Alexander Hamilton than his duel with Burr.

Most interestingly, this is a book not only for those with an interest in the American Revolutionary War, or the early formation of our government, but for those who want an understanding of the very roots of the Civil War. In reading this book, I often found myself saying "this is where that war began!" The differences between Jefferson and Hamilton concerning what powers the federal government should have, that are so well clarified in this book, weren't settled until the end of the Civil War, when Alexander Hamilton's position promoting a strong central government was vindicated. This is a book written in an entertaining way that educates the reader in regard to the legacy of a most remarkable man.

As a literary endeavor, this book is amazingly clarifying, and it fulfills a previous deficiency in other books I have read on this subject. i enjoyed this book immensely and I highly recommend it to others.

David W. Shave MD (authorof "Small Talk - Big Cure!")

I thought this was an excellent book through which the author substantiates his premise that Alexander Hamilton is indeed a "forgotten founder." He is remembered by most for his untimely end after his infamous duel with Aaron Burr. Indeed, his enigmatic personality which lead in part to the duel, may also have been responsible for his status as a forgotten founder. The author sketches Hamilton's somewhat humble origin from his birth in the Caribbean through his life as a founding father. The author convincingly argues that Hamilton was involved overtly or behind the scenes in virtually every event in our young nation's life from the Revolution through the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and beyond. Hamilton's position and influence as an aide to General Washington, or as one of the trinity of writers of the Federalist Papers, or as our first Secretary of the Treasury, amply demonstrate his influence at the highest levels of government. Perhaps no founding father argued more forcefully for the need for a strong federal government. For the young nation to be respected among the world's powers, Hamilton believed that the country needed a stable financial system. This lead of course to his plan for chartering the Bank of the United States. His prescience for that National Bank was amply demonstrated during the War of 1812 when the country desperately needed loans but had no national bank because its Charter had been allowed to expire at the end of its original 20-year term.

Why then "forgotten founder"? The author argues that Hamilton's personalty and strongly held opinions were partially responsible. He made many enemies because, as the author points out, he would stick to his convictions to both his political and personal detriment. His position on returning confiscated property to Tories was unpopular as was his conviction regarding the integrity of contracts over the perceived rights of war veterans. Once the Federalists lost power, it was perhaps much easier to discredit both Hamilton and his "politics." Because of his untimely death, (with apologies to Shakespeare) it is possible that his perceived evils lived after him while the good he did was interred with his bones. History has done a good job of documenting Hamilton's negatives, including his enigmatic personalty, his marital infidelity, and his obstinacy which lead to many (and frequently unjustified) personal attacks by his enemies. The author, while not overlooking Hamilton's personal foibles, has done an excellent job of restoring him to his proper place as one of the preeminent founders.

I found this to be a fascinating book. For those with some background in American history I think it is an excellent review of the Revolution and the founding of our nation. I believe it would also serve as a good primer for anyone who has an interest in American history. I found the book to be very interesting and for me very educational. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

This book was a real page-turner, but when finished left me desiring more. His childhood, early life, and revolutionary-era periods were adequately covered, but the chapter explaining his role as first Secretary of the Treasury was disappointingly brief. This book leads me to believe that Hamilton is not on the $10 bill for being Washington's 2nd hand man during the Revolutionary War or because he lost a dual to Aaron Burr, but because his complete overhaul of our nation's financial system in the first years of our constitutional government saved our government and nation from financial ruin and overall collapse. While the chapter led me to this conclusion, unfortunately it seemed like a brief summary of the keystone policies of Hamilton's life.

The second inadequate (more like non-existent) part of the book is Hamilton's battles with John Adams and other moderate federalists during Adams' reelection campaign. David McCullough's John Adams has much more about Hamilton during this period than this Hamilton biography, though it does portray Hamilton very negatively. Even if this book could not defend Hamilton in a more positive light, one should expect a biography to include the bad aspects of its subject as well as the good.

The final and most disappointing omission is the end of his life where Murray simply states "Every school child knows the manner in which A. H. met his end in the most notorious duel in American history", and leaves it at that. This was the climax of the book I had anticipated throughout and I still don't know why it happened, what led up to it, what A. H. thought about it, what Burr thought about or later said about it-a total of 1 1/2 pages were devoted to this subject!?......

Overall the book was an easy, entertaining read but not beafy enough for a serious scholar or history buff.

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