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Œuvres de Michael E. Newton

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Newton, Michael E.
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Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
An in-depth biography encompassing 750pp defining, perhaps the most significant individual amongst the US Founding Fathers. This book is a must read for those who wish for a detailed account of the early history of the battle for US Independence and the birth of the US as a self-sustaining nation state. A thorough and most readable account is to be found in this encyclopedia of Hamilton’s entire life from his West Indies birth. Moreover Hamilton was central to the birth and early history of the US Government. The politics of the first establishment and formation and acceptance of the US Constitution and of the difficulties in establishing the first and second terms of George Washington’s administration are covered in glorious detail. Legislative grid-lock is not a new phenomenon, and has existed ever since the US constitutional form of government was first established circa 1787. The politics of the George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson presidential terms were frequently deadlocked in the early tussles of the ensuing two party system. The politics between the Federalists seeking to establish the First Federal Administrations and the Republicans who held so dear what today are called State Rights were the basic elements of a tremendous political daily battle among the contestants at each stroke. Hamilton as the first ever secretary of the treasury and father of the first US bank shouldered the full development of the budding US economy and its subsequent successes. This book hit the streets in 2005. Chernow is clearly an economic historian par excellence. He started in 1985 with “The House of Morgan” and his successes have allowed him to spend a extensive period of detailed research to produce the facts needed for this work of force concerning the detailed character study and the enormous details of the prolific works of the industrious Alexander Hamilton.
The book contains 32 photos of early portraits of the central cast. plus details exploring the early relationship engendered when Hamilton was Washington’s Aide-de-Camp throughout the trials and tribulations during the War for Independence that solidified the close relationship between these two fathers of US Democracy. The untimely death of Hamilton in a duel with the US Vice-President, Aaron Burr on 11 July 1804 is covered in exquisite detail on pages 700 to 740. 80 pages of notes and bibliography conclude this academic tour de force.
In short this book is a must and rewarding read for those aspiring knowledge of the fight for US independence and the ensuing early history of the US Republic.
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MichaelHodges | Sep 16, 2018 |
So much is written of the Founding Fathers it's easy to believe that the American Revolution was fought by a total of fifty-six men. (Give or take a few, depending on your perspective.) I have been looking for something that gave me more insights into the views of the average rabble-rousing colonial or even those caught in the middle. As with my fiction reviews, it makes sense to focus on the two main characters in the story.

The Angry Mobs: For the most part, these "mobs" remain the nameless, faceless masses of colonials they are in almost every history book. There is some mention of names, especially with mob action that was associated with a specific person, e.g., Shay's Rebellion. However, even with a discussion on the motivation of the mobs, I came away with the feeling that one mob was much like another. Yet, I have to wonder if they weren't as different from each other, not just in their ideologies but also in their approach, as the Occupy Wall Streeters are from the Tea Party.

The Founding Fathers: On this side of the equation I got more than I hoped for. Unlike many historians, Mr. Newton has a background in economics and was able to add a layer of detail that is lacking in accounts of the Revolution and the years that followed. If you've ever wondered how the United States went from a country struggling with war debt and under constant threat of war between the states to one of the most prosperous nations on Earth within a few decades, Newton lays it all out for you in details that even the non-economist can appreciate. Hint: He spends a fair amount of time on Alexander Hamilton's role.

I'm giving this one four stars mostly because I felt it could have been two books: one that did the title justice and focused more on the mobs, and a second that focused on the economics of the Revolution and the nation-building years.
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MaryJeanAdams | 1 autre critique | Feb 28, 2016 |
With politicians calling for a return to the Founding Fathers' intent -- while most of the time showing very little understanding of what that might mean -- this book makes for timely reading. The Founding Fathers are not a monolithic collection of inspired men who produced by divine inspiration a document for the ages. They were idealists tempered by practicality. They met to create the Constitution at a time when the entire revolution could have been undone. Despite myths, the Revolution itself had not been a monolithic event. British oppression had not been so oppressive to rally everyone to the battlefield. There were conflicting interests. Britain more lost the war than the Americans won it, and might have strolled back in to clean up the mess, had the Constitution not been hammered out amidst conflict, ratified despite regional self-interests, and implemented rather boldly. Michael E. Newton tells the story from the earliest British taxes through the War of 1812 and a bit beyond clearly and engagingly. Many simplistic notions about how the United States got its start and what that start means for us today are exposed to the light. We need light today.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
pdgarrett48 | 1 autre critique | Nov 1, 2012 |

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Œuvres
4
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136
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#149,926
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3
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