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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Hamilton



I’d been reading for some time now about the huge Broadway musical hit…. Hamilton. “Huh?”, I thought. Not one of the most well-known nor beloved of the Founding Fathers. Hoping to learn more, I’d realized my chances of seeing the play on Broadway were slim and none…..   I also knew that most of the high school texts had written him off as a wannabe monarchist and conniver at best.. It was time to get Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton to read. Maybe it was also time to broaden my view of the man.

 

Put quite simply, Ron Chernow argues that Hamilton’s early death at age 49 left his record to be reinterpreted and even re-written by his more long-lived enemies, among them: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe.  Hamilton’s achievements starting with his role as Washington’s aide during the Revolution, soldier, and later member of the Constitutional Convention, co-author of The Federalist Papers and   first Secretary of the Treasury, were clouded after his death by strident claims that he was an arrogant, self-serving monarchist..

 To  Hamilton’s credit he had a very modern view of the future of the fledgling nation.  Hamilton was "the prophet of the capitalist revolution" in which American would become an industrial giant of cities and modernization. As Treasury secretary he created the modern financial and economic systems that are the basis for American might today.

The writing of American history and biography has reached a very high  peak in recent decades in both research, brilliance and accessibility. Ron Chernow's masterly Alexander Hamilton clearly reaches that high level.

 
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@Barrie Summy

12 comments:

Barrie said...

Wow. I'm the first commenter. An honor! I have to be honest...I'm woefully ignorant when it comes to Hamilton. I'd like to see the musical, but I don't see that happening any time soon. But this biography? Well, it's accessible. And I wouldn't have known about this book had you not reviewed it. Thank you!

Valerie said...

I can't imagine a musical about Hamilton but I guess it would be good to see.

Out on the prairie said...

An interesting tale is sounds.Never knew a whole lot about him.

Stacy said...

Hamilton was an intriguing man. I have always loved early U.S. history, so I will give this a try soon.

Thanks for the review!

Sarah Laurence said...

It's cool to see an historical figure become a celebrity! Thanks for the biography recommendation. I tried to get tickets for Hamilton but failed.

Arkansas Patti said...

When the musical became so popular, it made me realize I knew very little about the man except about his end. I will see if my library has this. Thanks.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Although it's too long for me, I am interested because of the current Broadway musical.

Lin said...

Oooh, I might want to read this one. While everyone is digging the musical, I'm not paying the high prices to see it just now. I enjoy the music on Sirius...but singing and dancing Hamilton will just have to wait.

Barrie said...

Ray, thanks for pointing out similarities between Wrecked and Rashomon on Sarah's post. Always interesting to get your perspective. (http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2016/09/wrecked-by-maria-padian.html)

NCmountainwoman said...

Interesting. I must admit that I am so turned off by hip-hop that I cannot imagine the popularity of "Hamilton." Clearly I am in the minority. Everyone seems to love it, critics and theater goers alike.

Carla from The River said...

Interesting! I would love to see "Hamilton" :-)
Maybe it will come to the Guthrie?

Ien in the Kootenays said...

That sounds like it would make good listening. Not sure if the present financial system is so wonderful....