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The Essential Hamilton: Letters & Other Writings: A Library of America Special Publication
A brash immigrant who rose to become George Washington’s right-hand man. A fierce partisan whose nationalist vision made him Thomas Jefferson’s bitter rival. An unfaithful husband whose commitment to personal honor brought his life to a tragic early end. The amazing success of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton has stoked an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Alexander Hamilton, the brilliant and divisive founder who profoundly shaped the American republic.
Now, Library of America presents an unrivaled portrait of Hamilton in his own words, charting his meteoric rise, his controversial tenure as treasury secretary, and his scandalous final years, culminating in his infamous duel with Aaron Burr.
Selected and introduced by acclaimed historian Joanne B. Freeman, here is a reader’s edition of Hamilton’s essential public writings and private letters, plus the correspondence between Burr and Hamilton that led to their duel and two conflicting eyewitness accounts of their fatal encounter.
Now, Library of America presents an unrivaled portrait of Hamilton in his own words, charting his meteoric rise, his controversial tenure as treasury secretary, and his scandalous final years, culminating in his infamous duel with Aaron Burr.
Selected and introduced by acclaimed historian Joanne B. Freeman, here is a reader’s edition of Hamilton’s essential public writings and private letters, plus the correspondence between Burr and Hamilton that led to their duel and two conflicting eyewitness accounts of their fatal encounter.
424 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2017
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About the author
Alexander Hamilton
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American politician Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury of United States from 1789 to 1795, established the national bank and public credit system; a duel with Aaron Burr, his rival, mortally wounded him.
One of the Founding Fathers, this economist and philosopher led calls for the convention at Philadelphia and as first Constitutional lawyer co-wrote the Federalist Papers , a primary source for Constitutional interpretation.
During the Revolutionary War, he, born in the West Indies but educated in the north, joined the militia, which chose him artillery captain. Hamilton, senior aide-de-camp and confidant to George Washington, general, led three battalions at the siege of Yorktown. People elected him to the Continental congress, but he resigned to practice law and to found in New York. He served in the legislature of New York and later returned to Congress; at the convention in Philadelphia, only he signed the Constitution for New York. Under Washington, then president, he influenced formative government policy widely. Hamilton, an admirer of British, emphasized strong central government and implied powers, under which the new Congress funded and assumed the debts and created an import tariff and whiskey tax.
A coalition, the formative Federalist Party, arose around Hamilton, and another coalition, the formative Democratic-Republican Party, arose around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before 1792; these coalitions differed strongly over domestic fiscal goals and Hamiltonian foreign policy of extensive trade and friendly relations with Britain. Exposed in an affair with Maria Reynolds, Hamilton resigned to return to Constitutional law and advocacy of strong federalism. In 1798, the quasi-war with France led him to argue for an army, which he organized and commanded de facto.
Opposition of Hamilton to John Adams, fellow Federalist, contributed to the success of Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, in the uniquely deadlocked election of 1800. With defeat of his party, his industrializing ideas lost their former prominence. In 1801, Hamilton founded the Federalist broadsheet New-York Evening Post, now known as the New York Post. His intensity with the vice-president eventually resulted in his death.
After the war of 1812, Madison, Albert Gallatin, and other former opponents of the late Hamilton revived some of his federalizing programs, such as infrastructure, tariffs, and a standing Army and Navy. His Federalist and business-oriented economic visions for the country continue to influence party platforms to this day.
American politician Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury of United States from 1789 to 1795, established the national bank and public credit system; a duel with Aaron Burr, his rival, mortally wounded him.
One of the Founding Fathers, this economist and philosopher led calls for the convention at Philadelphia and as first Constitutional lawyer co-wrote the Federalist Papers , a primary source for Constitutional interpretation.
During the Revolutionary War, he, born in the West Indies but educated in the north, joined the militia, which chose him artillery captain. Hamilton, senior aide-de-camp and confidant to George Washington, general, led three battalions at the siege of Yorktown. People elected him to the Continental congress, but he resigned to practice law and to found in New York. He served in the legislature of New York and later returned to Congress; at the convention in Philadelphia, only he signed the Constitution for New York. Under Washington, then president, he influenced formative government policy widely. Hamilton, an admirer of British, emphasized strong central government and implied powers, under which the new Congress funded and assumed the debts and created an import tariff and whiskey tax.
A coalition, the formative Federalist Party, arose around Hamilton, and another coalition, the formative Democratic-Republican Party, arose around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before 1792; these coalitions differed strongly over domestic fiscal goals and Hamiltonian foreign policy of extensive trade and friendly relations with Britain. Exposed in an affair with Maria Reynolds, Hamilton resigned to return to Constitutional law and advocacy of strong federalism. In 1798, the quasi-war with France led him to argue for an army, which he organized and commanded de facto.
Opposition of Hamilton to John Adams, fellow Federalist, contributed to the success of Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, in the uniquely deadlocked election of 1800. With defeat of his party, his industrializing ideas lost their former prominence. In 1801, Hamilton founded the Federalist broadsheet New-York Evening Post, now known as the New York Post. His intensity with the vice-president eventually resulted in his death.
After the war of 1812, Madison, Albert Gallatin, and other former opponents of the late Hamilton revived some of his federalizing programs, such as infrastructure, tariffs, and a standing Army and Navy. His Federalist and business-oriented economic visions for the country continue to influence party platforms to this day.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 18, 2017
This book gives the reader a very good look into the life of Alexander Hamilton through his writings.
Hamilton could write unlike any other and the sheer volume of what he wrote is amazing.
It makes you nostalgic for the written word and how powerful writing can be.
I thoroughly enjoyed his letters to his wife Elizabeth and those to George Washington.
You can clearly see the ambition, hunger and excitement in the beginning of his life.
You will cringe at his political fall from publishing the Reynold's pamphlet.
And then you will feel his personal fall from the death of his son at the end of his life.
It was interesting to read the letters leading up to the duelling with Aaron Burr.
Hamilton was a great writer with a flare that was all his own.
This is a great book for the Hamiltonian or historian in your life.
Hamilton could write unlike any other and the sheer volume of what he wrote is amazing.
It makes you nostalgic for the written word and how powerful writing can be.
I thoroughly enjoyed his letters to his wife Elizabeth and those to George Washington.
You can clearly see the ambition, hunger and excitement in the beginning of his life.
You will cringe at his political fall from publishing the Reynold's pamphlet.
And then you will feel his personal fall from the death of his son at the end of his life.
It was interesting to read the letters leading up to the duelling with Aaron Burr.
Hamilton was a great writer with a flare that was all his own.
This is a great book for the Hamiltonian or historian in your life.
July 17, 2020
I absolutely loved this selection of Alexander Hamilton's so very extensive writings! My particular favorites are his letters to his wife Eliza (Hamliza FTW!), but I also loved the rest as well! The letters to John Laurens, his children, sister-in-law Angelica, Washington, etc. were absolutely fascinating, and I inhaled every bit of it!
The Reynolds Pamphlet... Damn it, Ham. Reading that kind of made me want to reach back through history and shake him. Hard. Even more so in reading the letters that led up to that fateful duel with Aaron Burr. (And one can seriously see how thoroughly Lin-Manuel Miranda read those letters - I can almost hear 'Your Obedient Servant' playing as I read them.)
Quite possibly my only quibble (and I don't take points off for it because it doesn't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the book) is the cover. There are so many amazing portraits of Hamilton, and the publisher went with this one? Ugh.
A really great read for any Hamilton enthusiast!
The Reynolds Pamphlet... Damn it, Ham. Reading that kind of made me want to reach back through history and shake him. Hard. Even more so in reading the letters that led up to that fateful duel with Aaron Burr. (And one can seriously see how thoroughly Lin-Manuel Miranda read those letters - I can almost hear 'Your Obedient Servant' playing as I read them.)
Quite possibly my only quibble (and I don't take points off for it because it doesn't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the book) is the cover. There are so many amazing portraits of Hamilton, and the publisher went with this one? Ugh.
A really great read for any Hamilton enthusiast!
January 9, 2018
Having obviously loved the musical, this really hit me hard.
It was incredible to realize just how right Lin got it.
Reading Hamilton's correspondence reminded me that Alexander Hamilton was not only the cinnamon roll I love so much, but a human being. He wrote NON-STOP, truly. It was heartbreaking. His letters to Philip, and Angelica, and Angelica Hamilton, and his father, and Eliza Eliza Eliza, and Aron Burr, and John Laurens-- who, btw, are seriously in love. It's a beautiful thing--, and people I didn't even know existed... this book reminded me that they were real.
It was incredible to realize just how right Lin got it.
Reading Hamilton's correspondence reminded me that Alexander Hamilton was not only the cinnamon roll I love so much, but a human being. He wrote NON-STOP, truly. It was heartbreaking. His letters to Philip, and Angelica, and Angelica Hamilton, and his father, and Eliza Eliza Eliza, and Aron Burr, and John Laurens-- who, btw, are seriously in love. It's a beautiful thing--, and people I didn't even know existed... this book reminded me that they were real.
December 31, 2020
Interesting insight into Hamilton. Was inspired to read after the musical. There are some inconsistencies, but not too bad a take on him!
November 8, 2019
Absolutely fantastic. A great look inside the mind of A. Ham at a variety of times in his life. This man was extremely articulate and well written. No wonder he intimidated or even irritated many of his colleagues.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews