Hamilton probably had the best mind of all the founders. His insights, instincts, foresight, and attention to detail were unmatched among the other great men of the time. He was more brash than Madison, John Adams, Jefferson or Washington, and none were more intense. He was dogmatic in his belief that a strong central government was essential and on this point often clashed with Jefferson. He also believed that a half-loaf was better than one slice, so, he didn't pout as he recognized that the others were more closely aligned with a Jeffersonian view, he got out and helped pull the wagon.

He recognized the dangers of merely awaiting action from the states on the new constitution. He knew that the people were key to success and he knew the anti-federalist would fight. Without waiting for others to act, he recruited Madison and John Jay to help write essays in support of the new document. The three of them, publishing under a single name, PUBLIUS, wrote the 85 documents which became known as the Federalist Papers. Of these, Hamilton wrote more than fifty.

OPINION OF THE PUBLISHERS: Hamilton ranks second only to Washington as an important contributor to the success of the Revolution. As Washington's most important aide-de-camp during the war for independence and later as Secretary of the Treasury, he secured the future by implementing a sound financial system which in turn secured America's place in the world. If Jefferson had not been present for writing the Declaration of Independence, another, perhaps John Adams, would have drafted the document, but no other person would have presented himself on a river bank in New Jersey and surrendered his life to expose the insidious plan of Aaron Burr.

Historians regularly overlook important facts which may completely change the world's preception of an individual. In Hamilton's case, little is said about Washington's final tribute to him. When it appeared in 1798 that America would once more be caught up in a foreign war (with France), President John Adams asked Washington if he would come out of retirement and take command of the American Amry. Washington agreed on one condition: That Alexander Hamilton be his deputy commander, otherwise he would not accept! Thus Hamilton became and died a General. Most pragmatic people also agree that, if not for his accident of birth, he probably would have joined Washington, Jefferson, John Adams and Madison as a President of the United States.

Plenty of today's politicians try to implement Hamilton's notion of the strongest possible central government but there are no Hamiltons today. There are plenty of Aaron Burrs. Hamilton saw America through rose colored glasses. He believed that all Americans would agree with him if they understood the risks of a union with sovereign states and that through this understanding they could unite into a single culture with a single purpose. This was his blind spot. He did not fully comprehend the individual nature of people and their desire to be as independent as a civilized society would permit. On the other hand he would be pulling the wagon today against those who believe that a strong central government should be achieved through "divide and conquer" tactics.