TOW #15 - Alexander Hamilton, American (2nd Half - Richard Brookhiser)

In the second of half of Alexander Hamilton, American, Richard Brookhiser tells the tale of Hamilton’s life from his military years until his death. As an historian and senior editor at National Review, the author does a fantastic job sharing Hamilton’s life story with the proper balance between details and dialogue. His purpose is to share Hamilton’s experiences and how his outlook on our country had such a great impact. As a result, his audience is well-educated individuals who already have a basic understanding of Hamilton’s life. To accomplish his purpose, Hamilton uses sophisticated language and information regarding Hamilton’s contemporaries. The sophisticated diction is intended to confirm an intellectual tone made possible by the use of direct quotes. Since most of the direct quotes used were either written by Hamilton’s contemporaries or fellow historians, they are rather academic. To be consistent, Brookhiser uses language to match the intellectual ferocity of the quotes. He writes, “Washington mostly controlled his temper, but he never expunged it from his character” (185). The use of these strong words match the tone of the direct quotes, creating a smooth piece certain to resonate with the desired audience. Additionally, Brookhiser shares stories of many other founding fathers in order to compare and contrast them with Hamilton. In order to understand how Hamilton’s beliefs were viewed by others, Brookhiser recognizes that it is necessary to account for the beliefs of the critics. For example, Brookhiser writes, “In their retirement, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams reestablished their friendship, and in an exchange of immortal letters, looked back on 1776, and arranged themselves for futurity” (216). This information is included to compare Hamilton to other founding fathers, as it shows what made him so different. As a result of Brookhiser’s well-crafted biography, the audience is left with a holistic understanding of one of the nation’s most controversial founding fathers. Brookhiser did a wonderful job facilitating an academic discussion of Alexander Hamilton and allowing the reader to make their own judgments.