Hamilton was as responsible for the enactment and ratification of the Constitution as any American as you say. However, the "strong" federal government which he helped implement was in no way "strong" it was weak to the point of imbecility compared to the government we know. Hamilton knew that the real power was with the states and was determined to change that so that a real Union could be created.
But there is no doubt that this strenghtening did not really occur till this century. It was tiny in size until the Civil War and even the increased power required to fight the war was reduced drastically afterwards. What passed as a federal government in 1800 would not even compare to a small state government today and compared to a large city would be considered tiny.
Had an ideological crank like Jefferson been the first president I have no doubt the nation would have failed. It was only because we had far-sighted statesmen like Washington and Hamilton in power that we have the greatest nation in the world to live in today.
Had an ideological crank like Jefferson been the first president I have no doubt the nation would have failed. It was only because we had far-sighted statesmen like Washington and Hamilton in power that we have the greatest nation in the world to live in today.
True enough. Both Hamilton and Washington were practical men. While Jefferson was dreaming of America as an agrarian paradise, they realized that the future of the nation was in trade, industry, businesses and banks. They worked for the America that didn't take full flower until the 20th Century.
Not a coincidence that only upon becoming the nation that they foresaw did America become the greatest power in the world....
Have you read Chernow's biography?
Actually, Hamilton could put today's politicians to shame. As the architect of the Revenue Cutter Service, he caused the establishment of a new federal agency/authority that trumped states rights and even effectively superseded provisions of the Constitution. Revenue cutters had the authority to stop citizens and, if deemed appropriate, cease their private property WITHOUT a warrant (a power that the U.S. Coast Guard still has).
The original purpose of the Revenue Cutter Service was to "force" the payment of tariffs on a reluctant citizenry, including many of our founding fathers who had made an art out of avoiding paying "English" taxes and continued the practice. Think of an early version of the IRS with guns and cutlass...our founding jack booted thug.