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The Hamiltons
The Hamiltons were among the leading families of New York at the dawn of the 19th century. Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary War hero, statesman, and former treasury secretary, was laying out a path for his children so they could continue to rise in society and politics, but the sudden death of nineteen-year-old Philip Hamilton in 1801, followed by Alexander's death at the hand of Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804, altered that trajectory.
The Hamiltons is the true story of what happened after the duels, and the fortitude and resilience this founding family displayed over their long and eventful lives amid loss, danger, hardships, and the ever-present torment of seeing Burr, the cause of their deepest pain, walk the streets of New York unpunished.
The Hamiltons is the true story of what happened after the duels, and the fortitude and resilience this founding family displayed over their long and eventful lives amid loss, danger, hardships, and the ever-present torment of seeing Burr, the cause of their deepest pain, walk the streets of New York unpunished.
403 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 26, 2025
This was a surprisingly fast paced and enjoyable read. "The Hamiltons" covers the lives of Alexander Hamilton's and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton's eight children - Philip, Angelica, Alexander, James, John, William, Eliza and Philip, however a large portion of the book was mainly concerned with the lives of James and William. This is not surprising as James and William were perhaps the most politically notable of all the Hamilton sons.
The book largely relies on digitised primary sources (see Hamilton Family Papers on Library of Congress website) and local newspaper archives, but it probably could have benefited from other sources than those readily available online i.e. the unpublished Hamilton Family Papers collection held at Columbia University. An expansion on the world of the Hamilton's could have come from these unpublished materials, and it would have given a greater insight into Hamilton's children and their family from their own perspective.
Further issues I noticed consisted of the pacing of the narrative, as well as the authors indulgence in inserting fictional thoughts and ideas onto her subjects that are purportedly supported by the inclusion of the primary sources. Despite this, I felt the book was very informative in many aspects, giving lots of 'new' information about the Hamilton's that have not been written about before. (i.e. William's defence of slavery, the younger Philip's endeavour as a 'independent Democrat', Elizabeth H being photographed by Brady's Studio).
Overall, this is a fine albeit imperfect re-telling of the vicarious Hamilton's of New York.
The book largely relies on digitised primary sources (see Hamilton Family Papers on Library of Congress website) and local newspaper archives, but it probably could have benefited from other sources than those readily available online i.e. the unpublished Hamilton Family Papers collection held at Columbia University. An expansion on the world of the Hamilton's could have come from these unpublished materials, and it would have given a greater insight into Hamilton's children and their family from their own perspective.
Further issues I noticed consisted of the pacing of the narrative, as well as the authors indulgence in inserting fictional thoughts and ideas onto her subjects that are purportedly supported by the inclusion of the primary sources. Despite this, I felt the book was very informative in many aspects, giving lots of 'new' information about the Hamilton's that have not been written about before. (i.e. William's defence of slavery, the younger Philip's endeavour as a 'independent Democrat', Elizabeth H being photographed by Brady's Studio).
Overall, this is a fine albeit imperfect re-telling of the vicarious Hamilton's of New York.
Displaying 1 of 1 review