Alexander Hamilton Readings and Resources
Books for adult readers
Brookhiser, Richard. Alexander Hamilton, American. Free Press, 2004.
Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. Penguin, 2004.
Hamilton, Alexander (Joanne Freeman, ed.) Hamilton: Writings. Library of America, 2001.
Knott, Stephen. Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth. University Press of Kansas, 2002.
McDonald, Forrest. Alexander Hamilton: A Biography. New York: Norton, 1979.
An extended bibliography for Hamilton containing in-print and out-of-print works from the early 19th to the 21st century may be found at the web site for the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/bibdisplay.pl?index=H000101
Bailyn, Bernard. To Begin the World Anew: The Genius and Ambiguities of the American Founders. Knopf, 2003.
Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Harvard University Press, 1992. (Pulitzer Prize)
Bailyn, Bernard, editor. The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification: Part One, September 1787-February 1788. Library of America, 1993.
Davis, David B. The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Revolution, 1770–1823. Oxford University Press, 1999.
Egerton, Douglas R. Gabriel's Rebellion: The Virginia Slave Conspiracies of 1800 and 1802. University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
Elkins, Stanley M. and Eric L. McKitric. The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800. Oxford University Press, 1993.
Ellis, Joseph. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Knopf, 2000.
Ferling, John E. Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800. Oxford University Press, 2004
Fleming, Thomas. Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America. Basic Books, 1999.
Flexner, James Thomas. The Young Hamilton: A Biography. Fordham University Press, 1997.
Freeman, Joanne. Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic. Yale University Press, 2002.
Hamilton, Alexander. Citizen Hamilton: The Wit and Wisdom of an American Founder. Rowman & Littlefield, October, 2005.
Harper, John. American Machiavelli : Alexander Hamilton and the Origins of U.S. Foreign Policy. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
MacLeod, Duncan J. Slavery, Race, and the American Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 1974.
Norton, Mary Beth. Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750- 1800.
Rakove, Jack N. Original Meanings, Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. Knopf, 1997. (Pulitzer Prize)
Rakove, Jack N., editor. The Federalist: The Essential Essays, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. (The Bedford Series in History and Culture). Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Staloff, Darren. Hamilton, Jefferson and Adams: The Politics of Enlightenment and the American Founding. Hill and Wang, 2005.
Stourzh, Gerald. Alexander Hamilton and the Idea of Republican Government. Stanford University Press, 1970. o.p.
Wootton, David, editor. The Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. Hackett Publishing Company, 2003.
Articles about Hamilton
The New-York Journal of American History, Issue 3 (Spring 2004) published by the New-York Historical Society, is an "Alexander Hamilton" issue featuring articles by Richard Brookhiser, Joanne Freeman, James O. Horton, Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe, Robert McCaughey, Richard Sylla, and Sherwin B. Nuland, and an interview with Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow.
Links to full text of articles: http://www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/about/teachers.html
Alexander Hamilton—Related web sites
http://www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org
The New-York Historical Society web site for the Hamilton exhibit.
http://www.hamiltonsociety.org/ <http://www.hamiltonsociety.org
Web site of the Alexander Hamilton Historical Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to reinvigorating public interest in Hamilton, including a campaign to keep Hamilton on the $10 bill.
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/hamilton
“Alexander Hamilton on the Web”—A large and varied web site devoted to Hamilton with many links to other materials, especially documents.
Federalist Papers
Both of these web sites contain the complete Federalist Papers:
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed.htm
The Constitution/Constitutional Convention
http://www.constitutioncenter.org The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia offers a web site with information and activities relating to the Constitution.
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/usconst.htm Text of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; the debates at the Constitutional Convention; Hamilton’s opinion of the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States; and much more.
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders Goes article-by-article, section-by-section through the Constitution, giving early opinions on what the text meant to the Founders.
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/BasicGoverningPrinciples/index.shtml The six basic principles of government found in the Constitution.
General web sites about the Founding Era
http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit
Web site of the lst Federal Congress Project at George Washington University, with an online exhibition about the first Congress.
http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/_browse1800.htm Public domain images of American political history from 1750 to 1800, including many portraits of prominent figures and scenes of important events.
Films and Videos
• Each library wishing to show films, videos or DVDs related to “Alexander Hamilton” to the public must arrange for public performance rights (PPR).
• Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. now offers a Movie Public Performance Site License to libraries on an annual basis. Information is at http://www.movlic.com/library.html. Some distributors include PPR in their fee for renting or purchasing a work.
Documentaries
There are several well-reviewed documentaries about Hamilton and the Founding period of U.S. History available from various sources.
Duel: Hamilton vs. Burr (History Channel, 2004, 70 min.) Available on VHS and DVD at http://store.aetv.com/html/home/index.jhtml or 1-800-708-1776. Actor Richard Dreyfuss asks the question, "Why did the Vice President of the United States kill the former Secretary of the Treasury?" The documentary reveals the personal and political rivalry between Hamilton and Burr while questioning the conventional telling of the story.
The Duel (PBS Home Video, 2000, 60 min.) Available on VHS at http://www.shoppbs.org or 1-800-531-4727.
The Duel is the story of the conflict between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Drawing upon the techniques and style of feature filmmaking, The Duel brings to life this tragic tale from America's earliest years. Linda Hunt narrates.
Founding Brothers (History Channel, 2002, 200 min.) Available on DVD and VHS at
http://store.aetv.com/html/home/index.jhtml
Based on Joseph Ellis's Pulitzer Prize® winning book, Founding Brothers examines six pivotal moments that shaped U.S. history, including the duel between Hamilton and Burr. Edward Herrmann narrates and well known actors represent Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Hamilton, Madison and Franklin.
A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a Nation. (KBYU TV/PBS, 112 min.) Available on DVD and VHS at http://www.nccs.net/ampu.html
The first comprehensive recreation of the stirring, heated debates of the Constitutional Convention during the sweltering summer of 1787. Filmed on location at Independence Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia, and other historical sites, it dramatically chronicles how America became a nation and the underlying principles that guard our freedoms today.
Other film works
The Patriots (WNET, New York, 1976, 119 min.) Available in DVD and VHS from The Broadway Theatre Archive http://www.broadwayarchive.com or (800) 573-3782
Based on the play by Sidney Kingsley, The Patriots is a dramatic retelling of the bitter discord between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton in the early days of the Republic. The playscript itself is included in Sidney Kingsley: Five PrizeWinning Plays (Ohio State University Press, 1997).
Alexander Hamilton (Warner Brothers, 1931, 70 min.)
The only feature film on Hamilton, this one concentrates on Hamilton’s efforts to pass the “Assumption” bill, which required the federal government to assume the debts incurred by the 13 states during the Revolutionary War and was the first step toward the young country achieving financial stability. However, it is not historically accurate and would require some explanation for audiences if shown. The timing of events, the addition of fictional characters, and the distortion of some of Hamilton’s relationships to advance the dramatic effect are a few of its problems, but it received decent reviews for performances and direction.
Independence and Its Enemies in New York
http://independence.nyhistory.org A special NYHS web feature introducing visitors to New York City's involvement in the Revolutionary War from 1765 to 1784. It also provides useful links, a bibliography, and topical games and activities.
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: The Federalist Papers
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed.htm
One of many online resources for the complete set of 85 Federalist essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 1787 and 1788 championing the ratification of the U.S. Constitution
1st Federal Congress Project
http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/index.html
The First Federal Congress Project, a chartered University Research Center and affiliated with the Department of History at the George Washington University, has a dual mission: collecting, researching, editing and publishing the documentary history of the first Federal Congress, 1789-1791, and serving as a research center on the most important and productive Congress in U.S. history.
National Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org
The Web site provides the text of the U.S. Constitution, the historical context for the documents relevance and development, and educational resources for use in classrooms, and well as links to resources exploring the Consitution today.
The Revolutionary War
http://www.nps.gov/revwar/
One of many exploring the American Revolution, this National Park Service site pulls together documents, historical sites, timelines, and a host of other resources and delves into the "Unfinished Revolution" how the ideas generated by the founding fathers affected other nations and still influence the nation today.
Online American History Journals
History Now, at www.historynow.org, is a new online journal sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, for history teachers and their students. The first issue, on elections, will appear on September 13, 2004. Regular features will include: The Historian's Perspective, Advice from a Master Teacher, Ask the Archivist, and The Interactive Digital Drop Box.
Common-place, at www.common-place.org, is a common place for exploring and exchanging ideas about early American history and culture. A bit friendlier than a scholarly journal, a bit more scholarly than a popular magazine, Common-place speaks and listens to scholars, museum curators, teachers, hobbyists, and just about anyone interested in American history before 1900 from architecture to literature, from politics to parlor manners.
