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<b>Bonhams:</b> MANDELSHTAM, OSIP. 1891-1938. Autograph Manuscript, 2 pp, [Petersburg,] January 1913, entitled

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Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online - By Michael Stillman Alexander Hamilton By Michael Stillman If you are anywhere near New York City this month, you still have a chance to take in what is an absolutely wonderful exhibition. The location is the New-York Historical Society at 170 Central Park West, and the subject is Alexander Hamilton. The exhibition runs through the 28th of February 2005. For those unable to attend in person, you may find a glimpse of this exhibit online at www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/virtualtour/good.html. Be sure to check out the virtual tour. Hamilton was one of the most important of America's founders, but he never received quite the glowing press of some his fellow leaders, at least not until recently. The result is he never made it into the hearts of generations of schoolchildren the way his rival Thomas Jefferson did. Jefferson also had the good sense not to get himself killed in a duel while still relatively young, so he had more time to work on his legacy. Perhaps Hamilton himself is much at fault for the lack of recognition he received. Somehow he managed to get himself into battles with just about every other founding father. He could turn a molehill into a mountain, which explains why his life ended as it did. Still, despite his managing to anger just about every other founding father, he did retain the enormous respect of one. If you were to have one devoted believer in the first years of America, who better could you choose than George Washington? Hamilton's primary contributions were to America's financial and economic systems. He served President Washington as Secretary of the Treasury, and his programs saved the new nation from impending bankruptcy. He was the one who fought for the federal government's assuming the war debt of the states. He was behind the nation's first taxes. He promoted industrialization, which enabled the nation to develop into the powerhouse it became. He also supported a strong navy. Hamilton was a supporter of a strong federal government, and with James Madison and John Jay, wrote the Federalist Papers, which urged adoption of the Constitution. In fact, Hamilton was a prolific writer who could write about anything under the sun. Hamilton was perhaps not as dedicated to electoral democracy as some of his fellow founders, and this may be the major reason he did not become the icon Jefferson did. Too often he has been painted as the aristocratic foil to Jefferson's image as defender of freedom and democracy. He supposedly had some monarchist tendencies, and favored the election for life of senators. However, Hamilton's concerns were that too much democracy could lead to too little liberty, not too much.
Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online - By Michael Stillman none Those freed from facing constant election battles would be freer to act in the interests of the nation and its people. It must be remembered that in those days, voting was primarily a privilege of the propertied, not a means for the “little guy" to assert his rights. Today these concerns don't seem so far fetched. Senators and congressmen to a large extent do effectively hold their positions for life, but the fundraising necessary to maintain their power forces them to become beholden to special interests. Just as Hamilton foresaw America's greatness, he could also foresee some of its weaknesses. One more point needs to be made about Hamilton and his positions regarding the privileged versus the ordinary citizens. Hamilton has been adopted by people of more conservative leanings because of his strong support of the market system, a system which left unfettered by government restraint, can strongly favor the wealthy and powerful. In time, that would come to pass, but Hamilton lived in a different era. America was still an agrarian society. The powerful trusts Theodore Roosevelt would fight a century later did not yet exist. It was more likely to be wealthy landowners, people like Jefferson, who stood in the way of ordinary people's advancement. To Hamilton, the young capitalist system he embraced represented an opportunity for everyone, against a system stacked in favor of wealthy landowners. The ultimate irony is that the Virginia landowners, who spoke eloquently of freedom and democracy, were also slaveholders. Hamilton, on the other hand, was one of the founders of New York's abolitionist society. Hamilton's capitalistic views, like his abolitionist and pro-strong federal government opinions, were quite radical, not conservative, for his time. The very existence of this exhibition by the New-York Historical Society was not without its controversy. The placement of the Gilder-Lehrman collection of Hamiltonia at the Historical Society led to debate over the role that the society should play. Some felt that focus on a national figure such as Hamilton was pulling the Society away from its role of preserving New York history. I, for one, am happy to see it playing a role in the rediscovery of the contributions of this man so many know only as the face on the $10 bill. For, while Hamilton was a national figure, this man born on the West Indies island of Nevis, was the quintessential New Yorker.
Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online - By Michael Stillman none Think about it. When it comes to America's early leaders, how many New Yorkers come to mind? There was John Jay, a serviceable but not exactly famed patriot. George Clinton served as an early vice-president, but if you ask people on the street, “who was George Clinton," most will undoubtedly refer to the 1970s funk musician. The only early New Yorker to almost make it to the presidency was Aaron Burr, but New Yorkers, like everyone else, can be thankful that never happened. In fact, Hamilton helped prevent it, which ultimately may have cost him his life. And yet New York, the nation's trade, merchant, and financial capitol, would lead America into its role as a world and financial power, not the states which produced all of the first six presidents, Virginia and Massachusetts. Why did New York become the nation's center of economic power? The answer is New Yorker Alexander Hamilton. His federal economic policies would allow trade-oriented New York to become, not the nation's capitol (he gave that away to Virginia in return for the right to have the federal government assume state war debts), but the “world's capitol." Was there ever anyone more important to New York history? If you visit the exhibition or its website, you will discover much more about Hamilton, perhaps even a few surprises. I was not previously aware that Hamilton's oldest son also died in a duel, three years before his father, and that the same set of pistols was used in each duel. Bad luck for the Hamiltons. Why did this exceptionally gifted man not learn from his son's mistake? His wife, who did not engage in duels, outlived Hamilton by 50 years. Aaron Burr, who did not lose any duels, survived him by 32 years. Hamilton helped found two major institutions which survive to this day: the Bank of New York and the New York Post newspaper. Today's Post, Rupert Murdoch's scandal-sheet tabloid, would horrify the man who wrote pieces like The Federalist Papers. Not that Hamilton was scandal-free. Along with writing The Federalist Papers and much of Washington's Farewell Address, he also wrote Observations on Certain Documents, which revealed his affair with Maria Reynolds. Hamilton didn't want to tell all, but was forced to reveal why he made payments to Mrs. Reynolds' husband (to shut him up) when accusations were made that they represented improper financial speculation. Hamilton was a great man whom most of his countrymen either forgot or misunderstood. It is time to set the record straight.

Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online

- By Michael Stillman

Alexander Hamilton

By Michael Stillman

If you are anywhere near New York City this month, you still have a chance to take in what is an absolutely wonderful exhibition. The location is the New-York Historical Society at 170 Central Park West, and the subject is Alexander Hamilton. The exhibition runs through the 28th of February 2005. For those unable to attend in person, you may find a glimpse of this exhibit online at www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/virtualtour/good.html. Be sure to check out the virtual tour.

Hamilton was one of the most important of America's founders, but he never received quite the glowing press of some his fellow leaders, at least not until recently. The result is he never made it into the hearts of generations of schoolchildren the way his rival Thomas Jefferson did. Jefferson also had the good sense not to get himself killed in a duel while still relatively young, so he had more time to work on his legacy. Perhaps Hamilton himself is much at fault for the lack of recognition he received. Somehow he managed to get himself into battles with just about every other founding father. He could turn a molehill into a mountain, which explains why his life ended as it did. Still, despite his managing to anger just about every other founding father, he did retain the enormous respect of one. If you were to have one devoted believer in the first years of America, who better could you choose than George Washington?

Hamilton's primary contributions were to America's financial and economic systems. He served President Washington as Secretary of the Treasury, and his programs saved the new nation from impending bankruptcy. He was the one who fought for the federal government's assuming the war debt of the states. He was behind the nation's first taxes. He promoted industrialization, which enabled the nation to develop into the powerhouse it became. He also supported a strong navy. Hamilton was a supporter of a strong federal government, and with James Madison and John Jay, wrote the Federalist Papers, which urged adoption of the Constitution. In fact, Hamilton was a prolific writer who could write about anything under the sun.

Hamilton was perhaps not as dedicated to electoral democracy as some of his fellow founders, and this may be the major reason he did not become the icon Jefferson did. Too often he has been painted as the aristocratic foil to Jefferson's image as defender of freedom and democracy. He supposedly had some monarchist tendencies, and favored the election for life of senators. However, Hamilton's concerns were that too much democracy could lead to too little liberty, not too much.

Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online

- By Michael Stillman

none

Those freed from facing constant election battles would be freer to act in the interests of the nation and its people. It must be remembered that in those days, voting was primarily a privilege of the propertied, not a means for the “little guy" to assert his rights. Today these concerns don't seem so far fetched. Senators and congressmen to a large extent do effectively hold their positions for life, but the fundraising necessary to maintain their power forces them to become beholden to special interests. Just as Hamilton foresaw America's greatness, he could also foresee some of its weaknesses.

One more point needs to be made about Hamilton and his positions regarding the privileged versus the ordinary citizens. Hamilton has been adopted by people of more conservative leanings because of his strong support of the market system, a system which left unfettered by government restraint, can strongly favor the wealthy and powerful. In time, that would come to pass, but Hamilton lived in a different era. America was still an agrarian society. The powerful trusts Theodore Roosevelt would fight a century later did not yet exist. It was more likely to be wealthy landowners, people like Jefferson, who stood in the way of ordinary people's advancement. To Hamilton, the young capitalist system he embraced represented an opportunity for everyone, against a system stacked in favor of wealthy landowners. The ultimate irony is that the Virginia landowners, who spoke eloquently of freedom and democracy, were also slaveholders. Hamilton, on the other hand, was one of the founders of New York's abolitionist society. Hamilton's capitalistic views, like his abolitionist and pro-strong federal government opinions, were quite radical, not conservative, for his time.

The very existence of this exhibition by the New-York Historical Society was not without its controversy. The placement of the Gilder-Lehrman collection of Hamiltonia at the Historical Society led to debate over the role that the society should play. Some felt that focus on a national figure such as Hamilton was pulling the Society away from its role of preserving New York history. I, for one, am happy to see it playing a role in the rediscovery of the contributions of this man so many know only as the face on the $10 bill. For, while Hamilton was a national figure, this man born on the West Indies island of Nevis, was the quintessential New Yorker.

Alexander Hamilton: On Exhibit in New York and Online

- By Michael Stillman

none

Think about it. When it comes to America's early leaders, how many New Yorkers come to mind? There was John Jay, a serviceable but not exactly famed patriot. George Clinton served as an early vice-president, but if you ask people on the street, “who was George Clinton," most will undoubtedly refer to the 1970s funk musician. The only early New Yorker to almost make it to the presidency was Aaron Burr, but New Yorkers, like everyone else, can be thankful that never happened. In fact, Hamilton helped prevent it, which ultimately may have cost him his life. And yet New York, the nation's trade, merchant, and financial capitol, would lead America into its role as a world and financial power, not the states which produced all of the first six presidents, Virginia and Massachusetts. Why did New York become the nation's center of economic power? The answer is New Yorker Alexander Hamilton. His federal economic policies would allow trade-oriented New York to become, not the nation's capitol (he gave that away to Virginia in return for the right to have the federal government assume state war debts), but the “world's capitol." Was there ever anyone more important to New York history?

If you visit the exhibition or its website, you will discover much more about Hamilton, perhaps even a few surprises. I was not previously aware that Hamilton's oldest son also died in a duel, three years before his father, and that the same set of pistols was used in each duel. Bad luck for the Hamiltons. Why did this exceptionally gifted man not learn from his son's mistake? His wife, who did not engage in duels, outlived Hamilton by 50 years. Aaron Burr, who did not lose any duels, survived him by 32 years. Hamilton helped found two major institutions which survive to this day: the Bank of New York and the New York Post newspaper. Today's Post, Rupert Murdoch's scandal-sheet tabloid, would horrify the man who wrote pieces like The Federalist Papers. Not that Hamilton was scandal-free. Along with writing The Federalist Papers and much of Washington's Farewell Address, he also wrote Observations on Certain Documents, which revealed his affair with Maria Reynolds. Hamilton didn't want to tell all, but was forced to reveal why he made payments to Mrs. Reynolds' husband (to shut him up) when accusations were made that they represented improper financial speculation. Hamilton was a great man whom most of his countrymen either forgot or misunderstood. It is time to set the record straight.