Alexander Hamilton

[CARLHAYDEN]

I'm just curious what people think of him.

First, he was a bastard both by birth and by practice.

Second, he was a lying, backstabing turd who wanted to turn the United States into an oligarchy.

Third, he wanted to stage a coup d'etat, using a senile Washington (who he sucessfully fooled) as a front man.

Fourth, he tried to establish feudalist in New York.

In short, he was the most sucessfull thoroughly evil man in the history of American poltics.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Poor duelist.

He didn't attempt to kill Burr. He purposely fired astray.

Wrong.  He tried to kill Burr, but was more accustomed to back stabbing, and missed.

Burr did the country a favor in sending  the thoroughly evil sob to hell.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Poor duelist.

He didn't attempt to kill Burr. He purposely fired astray.

Wrong.  He tried to kill Burr, but was more accustomed to back stabbing, and missed.

Burr did the country a favor in sending  the thoroughly evil sob to hell.

OK that's some serious hate...talk to a therapist.

Read your history.

Hamilton was a liar.

Hamilton was a backstabber.

Hamilton sought to stage a coup d'etat using Washington as his front man.

Hamilton sought to reinstate feudalism in New York.

If you look at his record (yes he was a bastard), you will be hard pressed to find another major figure in American political history so thoroughly evil.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Hamilton was a liar.- It is true. He told Adams's that he would:

- not take controll of his Cabinet, he tried to until ,Adams fired half of his cabinet.

- not support Jefferson ever (did to not elect Burr).

- not support a different Federalist against Adams in 1800 (He did support his protege, Charcles C. Pickney)

Hamilton was a backstabber.- It's true, he wrote a letter abour how Adams aregued with his cabinet, was an adulterer, disliked Washington, and planned to set up an American monarchy. This letter in some ways cost Adma sreelection and split the Federalist into the Federalists (more moderate) and the Old Federalists (the super Conservatives).

Hamilton sought to stage a coup d'etat using Washington as his front man.- He tried to form a tropicla empire durring the Constitutional Convention and in 1803.

Hamilton sought to reinstate feudalism in New York- He tried to give the wealthy land owners sole voting reights in a Constitution for New York.

Thank you for your post.

It seems that too many posters are ignorant of their history.

P.S. Hamilton WAS also a bastard.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Alexander Hamilton would have loved nothing more than to be King of the United States. If not, dictator.

Why did he never run for President? He had the chance, in 1796.

First, as foreign born (as well as a bastard), legally he could never assume the office.

Second, he was widely hated (for good reason), and could never be elected (even if the foreign birth were not a bar).

Third, he prefered to play Svengali (behind the scenes manipulator).

[CARLHAYDEN]

Alexander Hamilton would have loved nothing more than to be King of the United States. If not, dictator.

Why did he never run for President? He had the chance, in 1796.

First, as foreign born...  legally he could never assume the office.

I believed this to be true for the past 40 plus years until someone on this forum brought it to my attention that he WAS constitutionally eligible. While it is true he was born in the West Indies, he was a citizen of the US at the time the Constitution was ratified. From Article II "No Person except a natural born Citizen, OR A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, AT THE TIME OF THE ADOPTION OF THIS CONSTITUTION, shall be eligible to the Office of President..." All your other points are well taken.

I stand corrected.

Thank you for the information.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Sen. Kennedy,

First, Hamilton was a bastard, both technically (as you more elaborately noted) and in the vernacular, by his actions.

Second, I never suggested that he was not intelligent nor that he did not get away with manipulating a number of otherwise intelligent, honest and decent men.

Third, the bank of the United States was a political institution (unlike the current Federal Reserve System) and actually paid for publication of material attacking candidates by name.

Fourth, with respect to taxation, Hamilton was an early advocate of protectionist taxation.  Is this what generates your approval of his tax policies?

Fifth, there is a good question as to what constutes a founding father.  While Hamilton did pay a major role in the development and adoption of the constitution, he was NOT involved in the Declaration of Independence (and, BTW, was opposed to the bill of rights).

Sixth, yes, many major personages throughout history have risen from humble circumstances to places of power.  Hamilton was such a man, and so was Adolf Hitler.  To me, what matters is whether you use the power you achieve on behalf of freedom (defending it from enemies and advancing it wherever feasible) or whether you use your power to curtail freedom.  While Hitler was certainly far worse than Hamilton, both were basically bad men by the standard I just outlined.

Seventh, if you look hard enough you can find something good to say about just about everyone.  You took the occassion to say some good things about Hamilton.  One could as well argue that Ghengis Kahn accomplished some good in the long term by spreading elements of chinese technolgy (he himself was a Mongol), throughout much of the world.

Eighth, you go on at length about Hamilton's abolitionism.  He was hardly unique in this.  Benjamin Franklin was the leading abolitionist in the country in the late eighteenth, and early nineteenth centures in this county.  Moreover, while Hamilton may have wished to abolish black slavery, he DID attempt to reduce New York farmers to feudal peonage (fortunately, he was unsucessful).

In conclusion, on balance, Hamilton was a very bad man.

[CARLHAYDEN]

In conclusion, on balance, Hamilton was a very bad man.

Well, each is entitled to his own opinion I suppose.

One question though Carl, why do you make such a huge issue of him being born out of wedlock and thus a bastard?

I was just waiting for some ignorant poster to dispute my point.

[CARLHAYDEN]

I did not mean to disrespect Kenndy, but, expected one of the ignorant lefties to defend Hamilton.