Award-winning biographer Ron Chernow spoke in the Hamilton College Chapel on Sept. 30, delivering a lively lecture titled "Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Imagined America." Chernow discussed the academic, personal and professional life of the first secretary of the treasury.
Chernow graciously thanked the audience, noting that it must have been "destiny" for him to speak at Hamilton College about Alexander Hamilton. "The magical power" of the Hamilton namesake, Chernow said, was incredibly welcoming.
He began his animated lecture by explaining America's problem of "historical amnesia." Contemporary American society, as well as current history books, regard Alexander Hamilton as a snob. Also, Hamilton is viewed today as the "hunk" of the founding fathers; he recently received a makeover on the new $10 bill, Chernow explained. Although some may have considered Hamilton charming, Chernow noted that Hamilton was not the dangerous villain that he is so often portrayed as. In fact, he claimed, Hamilton is the "most underrated" figure from early American history. Hamilton was charming, witty, brilliant, and (perhaps hazardously) assured of himself. Chernow went on to commend Hamilton's character, explaining that rebellions rarely breed such multifaceted characters.
Chernow recounted the early life of Hamilton in his lecture. Hamilton's life as an early adolescent was plagued with personal tragedy and misfortune. Luckily, Hamilton did not live in poverty for very long. "Hamilton literally wrote his way out of poverty," Chernow explained, as Hamilton attended Kings College (now known as Columbia University) because of his amazing writing skills and academic perspicacity. As an undergraduate Hamilton was not only an extraordinary writer, but he was also an "ambivalent revolutionary," craving liberty but dreading social disorder, Chernow said.
Although Hamilton climbed the ranks in the Continental army and later Washington's cabinet, he craved military action and battlefield glory. Hamilton was a man of action and intelligence, Chernow said. (Eventually Hamilton did achieve his long wish to be a true combatant at the battle of Yorktown.)
While helping strategize the attacks during the war, Hamilton also gave himself a "crash-course" in geography, business, and economics. He intensely studied the stock exchanges, banking systems, and trading laws of European economic powerhouses England, France, and Holland. By studying these nations, Hamilton realized that economic power linked closely to political power.
Chernow refuted Hamilton's snobby reputation. According to the author, Hamilton was very dedicated to the creation and organization of the United States government. He was the sole delegate from New York to sign the Constitution. Hamilton also authored 51 out of the 85 Federalist papers. He also fought for social justices in early America; the abolitionist of the founding fathers, Hamilton held very enlightened views about African-Americans and Native-Americans.
As Washington's secretary of the treasury, Hamilton "became the most influential and controversial man in the United States." Hamilton invented the government from scratch; he created the tax system, the accounting system, the monetary system, the first national bank (which would later become the federal reserve), as well as many other bureaucratic organizations, such as the customs system and the U.S. Coast Guard. Chernow praised Hamilton for his role in America's early economy, as Hamilton single-handedly devised a successful plan to restore American credit following the Revolutionary War.
Despite Hamilton's intellectual magnitude, he was far from perfect, as he publicly admitted to extramarital affairs. Regardless of his imperfections, however, Hamilton's life is "truly inspirational," Chernow said in closing, "because he grew up alongside his adopted country."
A question-and-answer session and a book signing followed the lecture.
Chernow has authored many critically acclaimed books, including The House of Morgan: An American Banking Family & the Rise of Modern Finance, The Death of the Banker: The Decline and Fall of the Great Financial Dynasties and the Triumph of the Small Investor, and Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
An honors graduate of Yale and Cambridge, Ron Chernow is one of the most distinguished commentators on business, politics and finance in America today. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has hailed him as "one of the pre-eminent biographers of his generation," and Fortune magazine has dubbed him "America's best business biographer."
The Victor S. Johnson Family Lectureship Fund was established by the Johnson family to bring speakers to campus who are alumni, public figures, scholars and others who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers and are recognized leaders in their fields The lectures are intended to address a significant aspect of American life and thought.
--by Emily Lemanczyk '05
