The Basic Ideas of Alexander Hamilton

by Richard B. Morris

Genres: History

451 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Richard Brandon Morris was Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University & past president of the American Historical Association. He wrote more than 40 books spanning legal, labor, diplomatic, political & social history, including The Peacemakers: The Great Powers & American Independence, The Forging of the Union 1781-89, Witnesses at the Creation, Government & Labor in Early America & Studies in the History of American Law. He lectured throughout the world, serving as Fulbright Research Professor at the Sorbonne & Distinguished Professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute of the Free University of Berlin.

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're interested in learning of Alexander Hamilton's basic political ideology, this is a decent starting point, but the year dates that it was written and published must be kept in mind due to the bias that is pretty obvious in the book.

[Paul Jellinek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I carried my dog-eared copy of this one with me to Fred and Pete's--the place where I have breakfast every morning--for upwards of a year, and on a lot of days, when I got caught up in conversations, I didn't read a word of it. But eventually I got through the whole thing, and it was well worth the effort. What emerges from these pages is a brilliant--but very human--mind whose ideas continue to shape the everyday life here in the United States more than 200 years after his famous death at the hands of Aaaron Burr. Richard Morris's commentary throughout the book helps to place the many writings, essays, etc., in context, which is extremely helpful. The final pages, from the days leading up to the duel, are especially moving, and left me with a deeper appreciation for this complex man who, along with James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, was one of the most important of the Founding Fathers.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander Hamilton was one of the central actors involved in the founding of ther American republic. He fought with George Washington, he was a major mover in advocating for a new Constitution to establish greater national power, he helped shape American political tradition as Secretary of the Treasury Department, and he became an important party leader (the Federalist Party).

He was also a major political thinker. This book provides an introduction to some of his major ideas. Various sections of this book provide a sense of his logic for advocating revolution against the Mother Country, his analyses of the Revolution itself, his arguments on how to develop the nation further, his work at the Constitutional Convention, key documents on his economic programs, and so on.

If one wish to get a sense of the ideas of Alexander Hamilton, this is a useful entree. . . .