The #1 New York Times bestseller, and the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton!Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation.“Grand-scale biography at its best—thorough, insightful, consistently fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great … fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great book.” —David McCullough
“A robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all.” —Joseph Ellis
Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. “To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we’ve encountered before—from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton’s famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.
Chernow’s biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America’s birth seen through its most central figure. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.
9780143034759more
Great read! Excellent combination of narrative and contents of letters, etc. Although this was a fairly long book, it was very hard to put down. Hamilton was obviously a genius but it was interesting to see his total lack of self-control. Without Washington to act as his shield, Hamilton could never have had all of the accomplishments he was responsible for. It might have been interesting to have some commentary from a mental health professional in parts of the book because it certainly seemed like he was manic-depressive (with his ability to generate volumes of columns for newspapers and congress in remarkably short times while engaging in multiple destructive behaviors like his pamphlet that he published describing, in detail, his affair with Maria Reynolds.) It truly seemed like his death at the hands of Aaron Burr was a case of Hamilton wanting to commit suicide and finding the perfect person to help him do it. You wonder what he might have accomplished if he had lived longer but his later work, while brilliant, seemed like he was spinning more and more out of control to the point where even his friends were either ignoring him or cringing when he would publish anything new.
Great lessons in early American history. For a non history major, I found this biography fascinating
There was a lot of information not only about Alexander Hamilton but also the founding of the United States. It was enlightening to read about all of the contributions A;exander Hamilton made to this country.
Very wordy – too wordy – I didn’t finish
too long with way too much detail!
This book is a long read but worth the work. Great insight into Hamilton’s life.
I just could not get into it
Very slow read
Superbly written and very informative
Who would think a biography could be so interesting and compelling. This is a great read.
I read this book several years ago – before the Broadway musical (still haven’t seen it). Hamilton’s life is fascinating and Ron Chernow captures it thoroughly and in a way that keeps you wanting to read. As your read, you also gain much knowledge on U.S. History and an appreciation for Chernow’s insights and interpretations of what was happening.
Brilliant. I am in awe of the author, not only for the prodigious research, but for being able to turn that research into a book that was riveting for 700+ pages. Hamilton had an incredible intellect and probably did more to put our country on solid footing than any founding father. No hagiography, the book also addresses his failings, which were usually due to personal rather than policy issues.
Jefferson does not come out smelling quite so rosy as his biographers would like to portray him. As not only a slaveholder but also a firm proponent of state rights, he essentially set the stage for the Civil War. “Three Virginia slaveholders – Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe- were to control the White House for the next 24 years. These aristocratic exponents of ‘democracy’ not only owned hundreds of human beings but profited from the Constitution’s least democratic features: the legality of slavery and the ability of southern states to count three-fifths of their captive populations in calculating their electoral votes. (Without this so-called federal ratio, John Adams would have defeated Thomas Jefferson in 1800). The Constitution did more than just tolerate slavery: it actively rewarded it…Slaveholding presidents from the south occupied the presidency for approximately fifty of the seventy-two years following Washington’s first inauguration. Many of these slaveholding populists were celebrated by posterity as tribunes of the common people. Meanwhile, the self-made Hamilton, a fervent abolitionist and a staunch believer in meritocracy, was villainized in American history textbooks as an apologist of privilege and wealth.”
Once the Revolutionary War was over and they no longer had that conflict to bind them, partisan politics very quickly took over the founders. As vice president, Jefferson was actively undermining Washington and even boycotted Washington’s memorial. Then the out-going president John Adams boycotted Jefferson’s inauguration, so there was bad behavior all around. “The period of John Adam’s presidency declined into a time of political savagery with few parallels in American history, a season of paranoia in which the two parties surrendered all trust in each other.” (The book was written in 2004, so the author might see a parallel now!). “Jefferson recalled that Adams shouted profanities at his cabinet while storming around the room and ‘dashing and trampling his wig on the floor.’”
In 1798, a Congressman from Boston declared America should no longer “wish to invite hordes of wild Irishmen, nor the turbulent and disorderly parts of the world, to come here with a view to disturb our tranquility.” That’s right. Send all those of Irish descent back!! Some things never change.
I have Gore Vidal’s novel of Burr that I last read about 30 years ago. I may have to go back and reread it after this. A quote from Burr contained in the book Hamilton accurately reflects his conniving character: “The law is whatever is successfully argued and plausibly maintained.” Does that sound like a modern lawyer or what?
This book gives a clear look at founding fathers and particularly -Hamilton-and the story behind the famous duel-learned a lot from read
I learned a lot about Hamilton. Interesting story
Amazing biography presented via the actual letters, articles and documents written at the time. Slow reading but fascinating. I was so glad I read it before seeing the show!
Too in depth for my taste.
Interesting, a little difficult to get into.
Hamilton was a man of exceptional insight and imagination. America owes much to this man’s legacy.
Loved it!!! Great writing. Love reading about history.
Very w gaging, makes history come Ali e