Rating: 
Summary: You will be sorry to see it end....
Review: This is a long book that you do not want to see end. The more you learn about Alexander Hamilton the more appreciation you have for his contributions to our country. You already know how the story ends but as your admiration grows you wish the ending could be different. His personal weaknesses and his wariness of the abilty of the people to govern themselves only makes him seem a more human character who was a product of his times. In comparison with the other Founders, particularly Adams and Jefferson, he is more straightforward, consistent and guileless, perhaps to a fault. Hamilton receives the most criticism for his lack of confidence in the sustainability of a democracy. For this he is branded a monarchist and an enemy of the common man. Given the lack of successful democracies up to that point in history, one can forgive his fear of mob rule. If he was a little reactionary on this issue he was well ahead of time on the issue of slavery, and lived consistent with his abolitionist beliefs, unlike Jefferson, Madison, Monroe or, even, Washington. I am not a historian but I thought the author presented a balanced picture of Hamilton and the environment in which he lived. It has definitely inspired me to learn more about this most important time in our history.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Biography
Review: This is an excellent and very sympathetic biography of Alexander Hamilton, arguably the lest known of the great Founding Fathers. Hamilton's reputation suffered, particularly in the 19th century, because he was an opponent of the Jeffersonian Democrats who triumphed at the beginning of the 19th century, His premature death in a duel prevented his defense against the rather nasty polemics which continued for decades after this death. Chernow shows well that Hamilton was a major architect of the American state. Indeed, Hamilton really anticipated what the USA would become by the end of the 19th century; a mercantile and industrial power with a strong agricultural economy and a meritocratic social/political system. Chernow traces Hamilton's origins from his origin as an illegitimate child in the West Indies to his prominence in New York legal circles and his career as an officer in the Continental Army. Hamilton was a brilliant individual who mastered a broad range of subjects with remarkable facility and a supremely efficient administrator. For a long period, he was essentially Washington's Chief of Staff in the Continental Army and performed prodigious work as the first Secretary of the Treasury. Chernow treats Hamilton's personal qualities with considerable sympathy and includes a very warm treatment of his family life. This is not, however, a hagiogpraphy. Chernow is equally good on Hamilton's failings, notably his impulsivity, excessive pride, and penchant for disastrous political (and sometimes personal) decisions. As Chernow shows, Hamilton achieved most when he was yoked to someone who exerted a steadying influence. This is certainly the case for his relationship with Washington but is also true for another important episode of Hamilton's career, his advocacy of constitutional revision. Here he had a fruitful partnership with Madison, who later became a bitter political enemy.
While I am sure this is best modern biography of Hamilton, it falls a bit short of being a really first-rate biography. The best biographies not only reveal their subject but also provide insights about the time in which the subject lived. Here Chernow does reasonably well but falls a bit short of being outstanding. For example, he is very good on the remarkably vicious character of politics in the first decades of the Republic. He is less good on other important aspects of Hamilton's life and time. As co-author of the Federalist papers, Hamilton is an important political theorist. Chernow doesn't provide any insight into where Hamilton lies in the development of Anglo-American political theory. Similarly, where does Hamilton fit into the contemporary range of economic thought, a subject that clearly occupied his mind considerably. Its interesting that many of the notable Federalists, like Hamilton, were officers in the Continental Army. The latter was the first real national institution in American life. Was this experience crucial for forming Federalism?
A final interesting aspect of this biography is that it seems to part of a recurrence of interest in Federalist figures. The past few years have seen important books on John Adams, and a superb one volume history/analysis of the Federalist period by Elkins and McKitrick. There has been a simultaneous decline in the reputation of the major opponent of Federalism, Thomas Jefferson. Is it possible that Americans are once again becoming attracted by the idea of vigorous and progressive central governments?
Rating:
Summary: The best Alexander Hamilton biography.
Review: This is an excellent biography on Alexander Hamilton, a formidable and sometimes controversial figure among our Founding Fathers. He is best known for being one of the main contributors to the Federalist Papers and being the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. There is a lot to like and be in awe about Alexander Hamilton. There is also quite a bit to dislike. Was he a visionary and a genius? Or a power hungry and greedy autocratic figure reminiscent of the British the U.S. fought away at the time. Through the past decades his place in history has gone through several reincarnations of both positive and negative revisionism. Ron Chernow is undoubtedly on the sides of the Hamilton fan. However, even though his portrayal of Hamilton may not be totally objective. It is nevertheless fascinating due to its breadth, and depth. Hamilton comes across as a brilliant individual sometimes centuries ahead of his time. Chernow develops a convincing case that Hamilton was without peers in his developing the necessary financial and economic infrastructure of what was going to become the modern U.S.
If Adam Smith was the Scottish genius who invented modern economics, Hamilton was his American counterpart who actually applied modern economics principles in the governing of a new nation. His understanding in such matters far surpassed his more famous political opponents such as Madison and Jefferson.
Chernow mentions several examples of Hamilton's unique foresight. One was Hamilton's successful defeat of the discrimination bill. This was a nonsensical concept that proposed that capital gains on sales of treasury securities should flow back to the original investor. Hamilton quickly saw that such a concept was operationally unworkable and would prevent the development of a liquid market in tradable government securities. It would affect the U.S. ability to issue new bonds and finance both government operations and other upcoming wars. He made his case convincingly and the discrimination bill was defeated 36 to 13. Another bold move by Hamilton was to enforce the assumptions of all States' debt by the Federal Government. Thus, the fragmented portfolio of U.S. debt formerly backed by the weak credit of each specific State was now fully backed by the U.S. This reassured foreign investors, and allowed the Treasury to refinance some of the bonds with much longer terms and at lower interest rates. This prevented the U.S. to become bankrupt under the mountain of debt it had amassed as a result of its wars to fight for its independence. After reading this book, you will feel that we would be only so lucky as to have a Secretary of the Treasury of Alexander Hamilton's caliber and genius. He loved to tackle challenging, abstract financial problems that few others could conceive. He would have been a heck of a mind to apply towards resolving our potential fiscal crisis associated with the retirement of the Baby Boomers. Chernow's book is a rich addition to the other already excellent biographies on Alexander Hamilton, including the ones written by Stephen Knott, Willard Sterne Randall, and Forest McDonald.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I have read in years
Review: This is the best book I've read in years, literally the kind that will make you laugh and cry. After reading this, I feel Alexander Hamilton's premature death ranks as the most tragic in American history while being the least appreciated as such by today's Americans. Ron Chernow amply shows you why. In this masterpiece of a biography, Chernow makes you 'know' and identify with Hamilton and the other characters the way a powerful movie drama makes you feel that the fictional characters are actually real. Of course, the characters in this story ARE real, but it's usually a challenge for non-historians reading about events so different from their own lives to get this feeling. Most books writing about the distant past are impersonal, and the historical figures within them rarely come across as genuine, real-live people with thoughts, passions, and insecurities just like ours. Chernow's greatest strength is his ability to draw this out so that you relate to them as if they were living and breathing today. He does an even better job in this book than in 'Titan', his bio of John D. Rockefeller. I think this is partly because Hamilton's own emotional intensity during his life was much greater than, say, Rockefeller's, or the vast majority of people dead or alive. Whatever it is, the effect is there: I was disappointed in Hamilton for his foibles, was happy when he triumphed, became disgusted by his enemies, and had tears in my eyes when he died. Apart from Chernow's considerable literary prowess, this book makes for a thorough and objective historical record of just how extraordinary this man was from any objective standpoint. Asked to name the founding fathers before hearing of this book, I would have cited the usual figures: Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, and Madison. I wouldn't even have thought of Hamilton. Having read the book, however, it's a defensible argument that while Hamilton (unfortunately) basks in the shadows of the others as far as the popular imagination goes (possible owing only to his relatively short life), he may have been the greatest mind and the most instrumental of all of them. He certainly was, as Chernow puts it, the "father of the American government" (in the sense of actual administration) even if he was not the father of the system of government or of the American identity, per se. Lastly, apart from telling Hamilton's story, Chernow has written an outstanding book that is a real contribution to the copious general literature on the birth and genesis of America. I learned more about how our country came to be in this period than from any of my sterile high-school history classes. The most wonderful thing is that despite my more-than occasional-lack-of-confidence in today's politics and politicians, this book has actually made me proud to be an American again and appreciate this great national experiment that has managed to triumph above all odds because of these men. I have not read any of the other recent books on the great men of the constitutional era, such as 'Founding Brothers' or 'John Adams' (both of which Chernow quotes from frequently), but I now feel inspired to do so. I know I have to think of SOMETHING negative to say. Any weaknesses of this bio are pitifully minor compared with its strengths, but if forced to find a few, I would name the following: (1) In my opinion, Chernow over-attributes beliefs and insecurities of the adult Hamilton to childhood influences in various side comments. I happen to think biographers overinterpret the effect of childhood events on adult personality and can be quite gullible in swallowing their own psychobabble. (2) The least interesting part of the book concerned Hamilton's childhood, and especially the confusing and jumpy life of his parents and grandparents. This could have been shortened somewhat, although if Chernow really wanted to create a full and thorough historical record of the man and his life, he may have felt this necessary, especially because Hamilton's illegitimate birth and unstable childhood form a thematic that is elaborated elsewhere in the book at various points by Chernow.
Rating:
Summary: A Tour De Force
Review: This wonderful new biography of Hamilton is certain to become the standard for any Hamilton biography. Following on the footsteps of a new biography of Adams this book is a welcome contribution to early American literature on the founding fathers. Born in the West Indies Hamilton moved to America and became a revolutionary war hero. He was a federalist above all and admired Napoleons concentration of power. He reorganized American finance as the first secretary of the treasury. He sought rapprochement with England to increase commerce and he settled in New York. Yet he was killed in an unceremonious duel with Aaron Burr, who was later to go on to become a traitor. He has been seen as a controversial character mostly because many believed that had he been elected president he would have declared the dictatorship. Little evidence exists to support this. Hamilton was one of a second generation of American founders, along with Madison who dominated politics as Jefferson, Adams and Washington were eclipsed. His untimely death dealt a blow to the federalists but it was not catastrophic and Hamilton and Monroe easily filled the gap. Hamilton is getting lots of press today and he has made a Trumanesque comeback in American history. He is now considered to be one of the 'great' founding fathers. Its not clear if his actual accomplishments merit this weighting but certainly up until recently their was a dearth of scholarship on him, now there may be a plethora. This will certainly remain the best researched standard on Hamilton for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Meet the nation's godhead
Review: Wow. It's amazing that Hamilton wasn't elevated to deity in the 80s. Now, as business is unashamedly the new religion, AND just when people are looking for mentors and guidance and affirmation, this book comes along as reassurance for the well-moneyed class. Regardless, I enjoyed it as fascinating read. For a book that breaks new ground in biography and human examination, may I suggest you check out Peter Hillary's in The Ghost Country which the respected Sydney Morning Herald recently described as a superb dialogue on human frailty.'' Provides a nice balance and contrast to the Hamilton study.
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