American Machiavelli : Alexander Hamilton and the Origins of U.S. Foreign Policy

Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) was an illegitimate West Indian emigrant who became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. American Machiavelli focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as foreign policy adviser and aspiring military leader. In the first major study of his foreign policy role in 30 years, John Lamberton Harper describes a decade of bitter division over the role of the Federal government in the economy during the 1790s and draws parallels between Hamilton and the sixteenth century Italian political adviser, Niccolò Machiavelli. Harper provides an original and highly readable account of Hamiltonas famous clashes with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and his key role in defining the U.S. national security strategy. John Lamberton Harper is Professor of Foreign Policy and European Studies at the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center. He is the author of America and the Reconstruction of Italy, 1945-1948 (Cambridge 1986), winner of the 1987 Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, and American Visions of Europe: Franklin D. Roosevelt, George F. Kennan, and Dean G. Asheson (Cambridge 1994), winner of the 1995 Robert Ferrell Prize from the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations. His articles and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including The American Historical Review, The Journal of American History, The Times Literary Supplement and Foreign Affairs. Alexander Hamilton rose from his humble beginnings as an illegitimate West Indian orphan and emigrant to become the premier state builder and strategic thinker of the American founding generation. This book is the first detailed narrative study of his foreign policy role and ideas to appear in more than thirty years. It focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as a key member of President George Washington's cabinet and as an aspiring military leader in the 1790s, a decade of profound division over the shape and powers of the federal government and U.S. policy toward the warring powers of Europe. Drawing parallels between Hamilton and the Florentine diplomatist and thinker Niccolo Machiavelli, prize-winning historian John Lamberton Harper offers an insightful and accessible account of the origins of Hamilton's outlook, his bitter personal rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and his indispensable part in designing and implementing a foreign policy able to ensure the survival of the infant United States. From Providence Into Fortune, 1757(?)-1781 -- Prepared To Be Not Good, 1781-1788 -- At Washington's Side Again, 1789 -- Hamilton Versus The Virginians, 1789-1791 -- The Nootka Sound Crisis, Part One : The Morris Mission -- Nootka Sound, Part Two : The View From New York -- Liaisons Dangereuses, 1791-1792 -- The Birth Of American Neutrality, February-may 1793 -- A Most Distressing Dilemma, May-december 1793 -- Hamilton And The Crisis Of 1794 -- The Jay Treaty -- Return To Not-so-private Life, 1794-1795 -- Camillus Into The Breach -- A High-stakes Game : Washington's Farewell Address, 1796 -- Transition To The New Regime, 1796-1797 -- Hamilton And Adams : The Background -- Hamilton's Grand Plan -- Hamilton And His Army, Part One, 1797-1798 -- Hamilton And His Army, Part Two, 1798-1799 -- Killing Two Birds With One Stone, 1799 -- 1800 And After -- From Fortune Into Providence -- Conclusion : Hamilton Then And Now. John Lamberton Harper. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 277-336) And Index. Alexander Hamilton rose from his humble beginnings as an illegitimate West Indian orphan and emigrant to become the premier statebuilder and strategic thinker of the American Founding generation. This is the first detailed narrative study of his foreign policy role and ideas to appear in more than thirty years. It focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as a key member of President George Washington's cabinet and as an aspiring military leader in the 1790s, a decade of profound division over the shape and powers of the Federal government, and US policy toward the warring powers of Europe. Drawing parallels between Hamilton and the Florentine diplomatist and thinker, Niccolò Machiavelli, prize-winning historian John Lamberton Harper offers an insightful and accessible account of the origins of Hamilton's outlook, his bitterly personal rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and his indispensable part in designing and implementing US foreign policy. "This book is the first detailed narrative study of his foreign policy role and ideas to appear in more than thirty years. It focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as a key member of President George Washington's cabinet and as an aspiring military leader in the 1790s, a decade of profound division over the shape and powers of the federal government and U.S. policy toward the warring powers of Europe. Drawing parallels between Hamilton and the Florentine diplomatist and thinker Nicolo Machiavelli, prize-winning historian John Lamberton Harper offers an insightful and accessible account of the origins of Hamilton's outlook, his bitter personal rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and his indispensable part in designing and implementing a foreign policy able to ensure the survival of the infant United States."-- Jaquette "This book is the first detailed narrative study of his foreign policy role and ideas to appear in more than thirty years. It focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as a key member of President George Washington's cabinet and as an aspiring military leader in the 1790s, a decade of profound division over the shape and powers of the federal government and U.S. policy toward the warring powers of Europe. Drawing parallels between Hamilton and the Florentine diplomatist and thinker Nicolo Machiavelli, prize-winning historian John Lamberton Harper offers an insightful and accessible account of the origins of Hamilton's outlook, his bitter personal rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and his indispensable part in designing and implementing a foreign policy able to ensure the survival of the infant United States."--Jacket A narrative study of the career of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), the illegitimate West Indian emigrant who became the first US Secretary of the Treasury and President George Washington's closest collaborator. It focuses on Hamilton's controversial activities as a foreign policy adviser and aspiring military leader during the 1790s Parallels are drawn between Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and sixteenth-century political adviser Nicol�� Machiavelli, in this account of Hamilton's controversial activities as a foreign policy adviser, his clashes with Jefferson and Adams, and his role in defining U.S. national security strategy.