Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There is a reason why Abigail Adams called Hamilton "another Bonaparte", why Noah Webster called him "the evil genius" of the United States, and why Aaron Burr, Vice-President of the United States could shoot and kill Alexander Hamilton, be under indictment in the State of New Jersey, and then calmly proceed to the United States Senate and preside over the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. Those people who knew Hamilton knew him for what he was--a scoundrel. Chernow's portrayal of Hamilton as misunderstood Founding Father is a whitewash of his true legacy--that of a person who despised democracy, favored a plutocracy (or a new phrase---"judocracy"--rule by judges), and who is responsible in many ways for the dysfunctional nature of the federal government. Chernow is subtle in his reclamation project. For example, Hamilton's last written words, except his instructions to his wife upon his death, are that secession of the New England states from the union, a cause which he supported in general, would offer "no relief to our real Disease; which is DEMOCRACY, the poison of which" [emphasis and capitalization in original, but not in Chernow's version] would only be more concentrated if New England were to secede. Chernow can't write a biography without mentioning Hamilton's hatred for rule by the people, but he can soften it, by removing the emphasis which Hamilton intended to be there. Chernow's talent as a writer is undeniable. He observes that "today, we are indisputably the heirs to Hamilton's America, and to repudiate his legacy is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world." Precisely. If you relish living in a country with unfulfilled pretensions to democracy, a muscular judiciary, an executive that governs by administrative fiat, and an unwieldy and ineffective legislative branch, then you will relish Hamilton's America. If you are saddened by the unfulfilled promise of democracy in America, you should find out who the true Hamilton was---as portrayed by others besides Chernow.