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Hamilton was George Washington’s protege and chief adviser for a reason. They both loved their nation more than anything including a petty state. They both devoted virtually their entire adult lives to fighting for and preserving the freedom of the American People. Neither was ready to flatter the mob like the Left of that day, Jefferson, or resort to Class Warfare like the Democrats (then and now).

Economies build state power and preserve freedom. Hamilton was intelligent enough to understand that freedom was an empty concept without a strong support which meant government. His policies provided the necessary framework to allow the nation to survive surrounded as it was by the empires of Europe all conspiring to rip off sections of the Union.

Britain was the most successful state in the world and therefore Hamilton understood that one should emulate the policies of success. Since he understood economics and finance better than any other American he and Washington put institutions and policies into effect which provided the sinews necessary to tie the Union together.

He understood that the British imperial system had distorted the American economy by forcing it into industrial dependency upon the British economy. It had restricted or outlawed the creation in the colonies of certain sectors of industry such as iron making. Hence, it was reasonable to propose a program to make the readjustment from the under-developed industrial period to a modern capitalist economy.

It was necessary to quickly develop at least the necessary industries to provide resources for national defense. The taxes and revenues necessary to pay for this and the debt he inherited were quite small per capita and primarily came from government land sales and tariffs.

BTW the American people did not revolt against mercantilism they revolted against having no representation in the government in London. Had there been a couple of Members of Parliament there would have been no Revolution as it was only a third of the people supported independence. Hamilton, as a teenager, was one of the most effective propagandists for Independence while still a student. He used his college fund to outfit a militia unit.

The Bank of the United States was private and not run by politicians. It was its indifference to the mob and politicians that infuriated Jefferson, that and his manic hatred of banks. He was little more than an overseerer for the British bankers who provided the capital for his little kingdom.

Hamilton made no secret of his belief that the rich must be tied to government. He knew that to allow the Left (Jefferson) to shape it would mean, as in the republics of the past, class conflict and destruction. Jefferson, the great admirer of the Reign of Terror, linked his political fortunes with the demagogues and City political machines who had worked against the ratification of the Constitution.

Nor did the Bank “engineer” business cycles. When Hamilton was Sec it and Treasury attempted to prevent wild speculations when possible. And even after Hamilton and Wolcott Jefferson’s SecTreas, Albert Gallatin, operated a responsible financial policy adhering to Hamiltonian policies. Certainly the Bank would assist politicians which favored it and opposed those who opposed it. But so what?

It was largely due to Hamilton’s policies that the United States was strong enough economically and politically to survive the Great Treason of 1861. For that the People owe a debt it cannot repay except through a proper veneration of his services. However, his name and reputation have been slandered for two hundred years by Left-leaning historians and the Jeffersonians. One of America’s greatest patriots is totally misrepresented.

His view of the American “empire” is not different than Jefferson in its essence and certainly he had more concern with freedom than Jefferson since he actively worked to end slavery even going so far as to propose the enlistment of Black soldiers during the Revolution. No wonder Jefferson hated a man who did more than write high-sounding phrases about “freedom”. That is what your quote meant. He wanted less TALK about freedom and more action about securing it.

Hamilton, like all believers in Manifest Destiny, viewed the entire continent as America’s natural limit. Entirely in keeping with Jefferson’s views.

Hamilton’s speech at the Convention was designed to push the Constitution as far Right as possible. He admitted his views were not those of the majority. But being an expert lawyer he knew how to present a case. His view of a King was as an executive no matter what you call it and he never proposed that Americans adopt a monarchy or a aristocracy. Although virtually every discussion of Hamilton has some Know Nothing claiming he was a monarchist, all from Jeffersonian lies.

You want to talk about dictatorship? Check out the actions of Jefferson’s insane persecution of Aaron Burr. Talk about Tyranny. Hamilton would have never done anything like that although a more despicable character than Burr is hard to find.

Control of the federal government prior to 1860 does not imply a dictatorship. Such control would not mean much to most since that government was TINY and rarely affected people’s daily lives unless it was enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act. It only had an army of 16,000. Most of the governing being done was by States.