Alexander Hamilton: Soldier and Statesman (Our People)

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Summary: Hey, kids! Read this before Hamitlon disappears from the $10
Review: The name of Alexander Hamilton has been in the news recently because one of the tributes some admirers of the late Ronald Reagan are advocating is that the face of the 40th president should replace the that of the first Secretary of the Treasury on the face of $10 bill (there are some who say the $20 instead of the $10, and/or the dime, as well as those who want Reagan on Mount Rushmore). The change may or may not happen, but at least most of these stories mention why Hamilton deserved the honor in the first place, so Hamilton is getting some press. For young readers who want to find out a bit more about the young Founding Father who was killed in a celebrated duel by the Vice President, this new volume from the Our People series on "Alexander Hamilton: Soldier and Statesman" will do the trick.

Written by Pam Rosenberg, this volume follows the standard format of all of the Spirit of America volumes, breaking Hamilton's life down into four chapters to show why he is remembered for the important role he played in developing the United States government and establishing a national economy: (1) An Intelligent Boy tells how Hamilton grew up in the Caribbean as the son of unwed parents who was running a shipping business at the age of 17; (2) From Student to Soldier traces Hamilton from his time as a college student to his early involvement in the Sons of Liberty; (3) Distinguished Service covers both Hamilton's role as General George Washington's aide-de-camp and his brief command of troops in the field, as well as his writings in support of the new Federal government and his time as the nation's most influential Secretary of the Treasury; and (4) A Life Cut Short focuses on the circumstances leading to Hamilton's death in a duel with Aaron Burr.

The balance of this particular juvenile biography seems a bit off to me. The things for which Hamilton is remembered, in establishing the national economy and consequently the Federalist party, are reduced to the second half of one chapter in the book. Rosenberg's approach devotes half the book to Hamilton's youth, which may engender something of a sense of identification for young readers, but forces her to cram a lot of significant accomplishments and important political ideas into a few pages.

The volume provides both contemporary photographs and historical illustrations and there are sidebars devoted to the island of Nevis, Hamilton's guardian in America, Hercules Mulligan, and his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. Young readers will also find that margins filled with Interesting Facts, such the United States national debt situation in 1790 and the death of his son in a duel three years before Hamilton's own. A Time Line of Hamilton's life is provided in the back of the volume, along with Glossary Terms from "constitution" to "slandering," books and other sites For Further Information, and an index.

Ironically, one of the Interesting Facts provides the inscription on Hamilton's tombstone: "The patriot of incorruptible integrity, the soldier of approved valour, the statesman of consummate wisdom, where talents and virtue will be admired by grateful posterity long after this marble shall have moldered into dust." We will have to keep an eye on the news to see if that admiration continues to include Hamilton's face on the $10 bill.