Original Intents: Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the American Founding

by Andrew Shankman

Lucid and concise, Original Intents: Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the American Founding fully explains the political, economic, and constitutional ideas of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison as their thinking developed from the American Revolution through the early 1790s. It shows how their ideas took shape and changed as they engaged with each other and eventually began to have serious debates and arguments. Original Intents shows that there was no single original meaning or intent in the Constitution, and that Hamilton sought to build a Republican United States that was completely incompatible with the Republic that Jefferson and Madison wanted. By the early 1790s, the two Virginians had come to despise Hamilton and detest his vision, and vice versa.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2017

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise but careful exploration of the political ideas of Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton as well as the ferocious debates among them over Hamilton's financial programs. I was able to get a mix better understanding of what Hamilton was proposing and why.

[Allie Pae · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for a class but it was a very clear and concise explanation of hamilton/madison/jefferson’s disagreements.

[Beckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really quite enjoyed this book, despite having to read it for a class.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that focuses on the arguments made my Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton on important issues such as why a stronger National Government was needed, due to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. The book also examines how, while the three founding fathers originally agreed on the premise of a stronger national government, what they envisioned for the nation was radically different and at odds with each other. Shankman then lays out the arguments that both sides had, including Hamilton's three step plan to establish credit, his plan for discrimination when it came to the domestic debt, and the public feud that the two sides had. It is an interesting read, and forces you to look at how easily it was to see that, while these three founding fathers had differing views as to how they wanted the fledgling Nation to be, they all had the same goal in mind: They wanted to make the country a better place.

[Denialandavoidance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, engaging and big-picture. A clear narrative per chapter and a good example of non-waffling academic language.


Short summary:
"We should not trust any figure of the twenty-first century who claims that the Constitution had one meaning for its framers that we can decipher. We should not take seriously the insistence that we can use this alleged original intent to determine what the founders would think about contemporary issues, and so what we should think about them. Three of the most important founders could not even agree about how to define the word necessary!"

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent discussion of the distinctions among the three founders, the reasons for their ultimate falling out, and the way the thinking of each changed over time. Especially valuable are his suggestions for additional readings. They take the form of short supplemental essays.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating :)

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Original Intents, author Andrew Shankman provides a well balanced general overview of the positions and differences in the establishment of our economy as a new country.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this for HY451 at JSU with Dr. Tamera Levi in Fall 2021.