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Alexander Hamilton Summary

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Alexander Hamilton Summary
Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. New York, NY: Penguin Press, 2005. Print

Author: Chernow is a writer, journalist, historian, and biographer. He has written bestselling and award-winning biographies of historical figures from the world of business, finance, and American politics.

Topics and Scope: The book takes the reader through the tumultuous, but successful life of Alexander Hamilton.

Thesis: Understanding Hamilton’s life and trials aids in the understanding of his politics and ideals for the new government.

Critique: The life of Alexander Hamilton is told as a very factual list of events amounting to his politically successful existence. The United States would not be the nation it is today, without the influence of Hamilton. His original ideas about the new government structure were used for the most part. Hamilton leaned more towards the British system of government, finding many strengths in the central government it
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Hamilton grew up in a poor family without means to send him to the best school around, only attending a Jewish school for a short time. Hamilton’s main experience came from a time of working in as a clerk for a merchant. After his father left and his mother died of fever he needed something to make ends meet. After coming to America and having little prior education, he was admitted into King’s College on an accelerated program, to finish the course work in a shorter time. Hamilton is a prime example of what hard work and dedication is all about.
Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow is very insightful into the whole life of Hamilton. The book seems to be written more like a history book with little further thought to Hamilton or his policies. There is not a lot of looking at the topics and digging into his ideas and motives behind it, which is something that I would have expected for the book to

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