Revolutionary Character
Alexander Hamilton was the prototypical opportunist of the American Revolution: of obscure and humble origins, he longed for an escape from his lowly rank as accountant and, as Wood (2006) notes, it was "war" that Hamilton believed would provide just such an escape (p. 124). Hamilton's revolutionary character was found in this desire for opportunity out of crisis and displayed the future maxim of Rahm Emmanuel, "Let no good crisis go to waste," in a manner that suggests that Hamilton is indeed the progenitor of a centralized, fascistic government headed by a financial sector that has less interest in democratic ideals than it does in the control and steering of a new empire. This paper will explore the theme set out by Wood (2006) that shows how Alexander Hamilton was a revolutionary character whose special talents lay in the direction of fostering a new nation that could be effectively governed by powerful scions and members of the banking sector.
The overall theme identified by Wood (2006) in the chapter entitled "Alexander Hamilton and the Making of the Fiscal-Military State" is that Hamilton played a particularly useful revolutionary role in terms of connecting the dots between Washington's military leadership and the leadership of the financial elites of Wall Street, where so many memorable historical moments arose, such as Washington's oath of office in 1789 and the vote on the Bill of Rights. Hamilton served as the connecting link between Wall Street influence and the office of the President, playing fast and loose with the legislative body of government in terms of financial and centralizing principles.
As Woods (2006) highlights in one of the more important sub-themes of the chapter, Hamilton was the perfect sort of revolutionary for the upcoming American titans (he married into just such...
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