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Title: Alexander Hamilton: First U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (Revolutionary War Leaders) by Veda Boyd Jones, Arthur M., Jr. Schlesinger ISBN: 0-7910-5697-X Publisher: Chelsea House Publishing Pub. Date: March, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $8.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: A rather sanitized juvenile biography of Alexander Hamilton
Comment: When Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr fought their infamous duel in 1804 it is quite possible that there were the two most arrogant politicians in the entire United States. I recently finished David McCullough's biography of John Adams, so I was not inclined to think highly of Hamilton and Veda Boyd Jones faces a problem in trying to tell young readers about her subject's less than stellar character. This juvenile biography provides Alexander Hamilton's resume, but without really getting into why he was so admired by George Washington and so reviled by many others, beyond the idea that he was ambitious and wanted to achieve success as a military leader. The tone is set early in the book when Hamilton's illegitimacy and the intense social stigma of the times is reduced to the declaration "This bothered Alexander because it was very unusual at that time." While later scandals in Hamilton's life are ignored completely, I do recognize that there is little value in getting into the salacious aspects with this particular age group.

Consequently, my stronger criticism is for the general way in which Hamilton's strengths are presented; they are essentially reduced to the fact he supported a strong central government. The political struggle between the Federalists and the Republicans that led to the fatal duel is also reduced to the vague point that Hamilton called Burr dangerous in the newspapers. So, on the one hand I recognize that Hamilton is a problematic figure for a juvenile biography, but on the other hand this volume misses giving young readers a solid understanding of why he was one of the most important political figures of his day despite the fact he was never elected to political office. We are told Hamilton was an excellent writer, but while there are references to the Federalist Papers and other important pamphlets, we never really get a taste of his public rhetoric. The book is illustrated with historic paintings and etchings, some of which show Hamilton. Other titles in the Revolutionary War Leaders series look at not only Jefferson and Washington, but also Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Thomas Paine, and Betsy Ross.

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Title: The Alexander Hamilton You Never Knew (You Never Knew) by James Lincoln Collier, Greg Copeland ISBN: 0516243454 Publisher: Children's Press Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.50