Alexander Hamilton was a powerful figure during his lifetime and remains so to this day. Some of his quotes, courtesy of www.brainquotes.com, could have been spoken two weeks ago, given their lingering wisdom:
A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.
It's not tyranny we desire; it's a just, limited, federal government.
Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.
On 5/31/12, Bloomberg BusinessWeek published an article focusing on Hamilton's attributes as a "hunk." His exploits would have made the front page of the newspaper he founded: The New York Post. He had an affair with a married woman in between having eight children with his wife. And then he was blackmailed by the husband of this married woman. More than two centuries later, one has the impression that many other young women, both married and not, would be willing paramours to the dapper Mr. Hamilton. Julia Cooperman, for example, for example, has had a crush on Mr. Hamilton since the eighth grade.
On the other hand, he was a strong supporter of our Constitution and was the first secretary of the Treasury. And, as everyone knows, his chiseled face graces the ten dollar bill.
Here's how Claire Suddath, the author of the piece, describes Mr. Hamilton:
As Secretary of the Treasury he developed a system for national debt and helped found the central bank. Hamilton foresaw the benefits of an industrialized, merchant economy in ways that his Jeffersonian counterparts did not. “What is good about the American economy is largely the result of the Hamiltonian developmental tradition,” writes Michael Lind in his latest book, Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States.
Hamilton also met a sensational and sad death at the hands of Aaron Burr. Such an event today would have received months of tabloid coverage, possibly overshadowing the accomplishments he attained in other areas of his life.
the man was an agent of the City of London and he got what was coming to him.
That's cold homie, Burr.
Hamilton laid the foundations for the American banking system, we should thank him for that.
I think the key thing people miss when talking about the national debt and deficit spending is this.
By 2020, the US will be paying ~$750 Billion in interest payments, and still running a deficit ( Page 21). That is second only to Social Security and Medicare. That is $750 billion that could be used for investment or $750 billion in lower taxes for millions of Americans. This kind of debt, would be considered excessive by Hamilton, and should be considered excessive by any rational person.
As for the Hamilton vs. Jefferson debate, both men were visionaries. Jefferson believed that American's should be a land of self-sufficient individuals and families. Hamilton believed, that with the help of a central bank, and banking system, these individuals and families could go on to achieve much greater things than they otherwise could have alone.
hamilton was himself literally a bastard. and we are very proud to call burr an alum for greasing this bankster cockroach.
Did any of you guys see Sara Eisen getting all hot and bothered on bloomberg tv about him? It was pretty good.
The Hamilton biography by Chernow has been on my reading list for quite a while. Has anyone here read it? 800 pages is a bit intimidating but I'll have some free time this summer.
http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/1594200092
There is a CD version.
I haven't read the Chernow biography from cover to cover, but I read enough of it to gain a greater appreciation of Alexander Hamilton as well as a deeper insight into his wife, his children, and his parents. Chernow breathes life into everyone he writes about. Hamilton died before he reached his fiftieth birthday, but his wife lived a half-century beyond her husband. She devoted herself to undoing the negative reputation that was crafted by Hamilton's many enemies. Finally, as Chernow writes, the task of preparing the definitive biography of Hamilton fell into the lap of one of Hamilton's children. Hamilton was considered by some to be a "closet monarchist," while others considered him to be the father of capitalism. Thank you to GetOnTop for mentioning this thought-provoking and brilliantly written book.
That was probably my favorite historical bio of all time. Most of the historical bios are riddled with anti-federalist sentiment.
I found the article if anyone is interested.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-31/alexander-hamilton-fede…
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