Thomas Jefferson Versus Alexander Hamilton: Confrontations that Shaped a Nation (Bedford Series in History and Culture) (Hardcover)

by Noble E. Cunningham Jr. (Author) "Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, in Albemarle County in the English colony of Virginia..." (more)
Key Phrases: corrupt squadron, first annual message, New York, United States, Alexander Hamilton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This ninth volume in the "Bedford Series in History and Culture" focuses on two adversarial American legends, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. As with other works in this series, the format, which combines narrative commentary with primary documents, emphasizes brevity. In a succinct narrative that composes less than half the volume, Cunningham (emeritus, history, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia) once again demonstrates his considerable skill as historian and writer. Numerous key letters, speeches, reports, and other primary documents interwoven into the text illustrate fundamental differences between the democrat from an established family and the equally talented social outsider with an even sharper entrepreneur's eye. The "Bedford" series is aimed at college American history courses, and this latest volume will be useful in that setting. It will also appeal to general readers who want mini-biographies and samples of the written works of these two American political giants.DWilliam D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Selections from the writings of two of the foremost antagonists among the Founding Fathers, edited and explained by historian and biographer Cunningham (In Pursuit of Reason, 1987). Cunningham's efforts will forever dispel any romantic notions that the Founding Fathers were a troop of amiable Boy Scouts. The Jefferson and Hamilton on display here are fierce opponents, each absolutely convinced that the other was a danger to the fledgling country. Cunningham has juxtaposed some of the principal writings of both men (most of the pieces are excerpts) and supplied some genial commentary--all intended to reveal how the two leading political figures faced the major issues of their day. Hamilton (younger than Jefferson by 12 years) did not trust the general public: The people are turbulent and changing, he wrote in 1787, they seldom judge or determine right. Jefferson, by contrast, had supreme faith in the electorate and wished to guarantee the survival of liberty by improving the education of the common people. Cunningham reveals that there is no record of the first meeting between the men, but they both were members of Washington's first cabinet--Jefferson was Secretary of State, and Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury. Their first important clash was over the formation of the national bank (Hamilton favored it--and won). Jefferson hated Hamilton's fondness for paper currency and later wrote Washington that he believed he had been duped by Hamilton and made a tool for forwarding his schemes. Hamilton later called Jefferson a contemptible hypocrite and could not bring himself to credit Jefferson even for Louisiana, whose purchase, sniped Hamilton, was due to fortuitous . . . circumstances rather than any wise or vigorous measure. Cunningham concludes--somewhat superfluously--that both men contributed greatly to the shaping of the American nation. As this useful volume of powerful prose ably illustrates, what often survives a political collision is moral clarity. (10 illustrations) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (July 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031222821X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312228217
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,068,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great., March 28, 2006

By	Publius - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jefferson vs. Hamilton: Confrontations that Shaped a Nation (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) (Paperback)

This book helps give the reader an excellent prespective on how the Federalists and Anti-Federalists helped shape our nation though debate and press.

I enjoyed this book because it is more of a collection of letters, from both Jefferson and Hamilton, leaving it up to you on how to interpret their stances and personalities.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars this is a good book for a beginning hist class, April 9, 2001

By A Customer

This book really gives the reader a sense of what Hamilton and Jefferson were REALLY like. They had disputes and were mistrustful of eachother. There wasn't any school-boy stuff going on here. I recommend this book if you're interested in history and are in college. Good book!