An illegitimate child, born in the Caribbean, who arrived in America as a near-penniless teenager, Alexander Hamilton did not seem to have much in common with the rest of the Founding Fathers. However, the audacious young immigrant quickly proved himself in the cauldron of revolutionary fervour gripping the colonies in the 1770s. After serving in the Revolution as an artillery officer and aide to George Washington, Hamilton became one of the foremost architects of the new United States of America. He wrote many of the Federalist Papers, established the first national bank and became first secretary of the Treasury before losing his life in a duel. In this book, two historians explain how Hamilton's strong personality, quicksilver intellect and taste for combat played into the contentious arguments over what kind of country the young republic would become.
