Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today Summary and Reviews

Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today
by Thomas DiLorenzo

Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today
Our Price: $227.76
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $19.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Thomas DiLorenzo
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-21
ISBN: 0307382842
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Crown Forum

Book Reviews of Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today

Book Review: A convincing history though lacking numbers
Summary: 3 Stars

Hamilton's Curse describes how Alexander Hamilton's preference for a strong central American government came to be dominate over Jefferson's belief in limited government through our history. Phrases in the Constitution such as "provide for the general welfare" and concepts such as " implied powers" are used repeatedly by "Hamiltonians" to advance the powers of the central government. The image of the central government emerges as an unstoppable Leviathan, growing in political and economic power without Constitutional restraint as it asserts itself over the states.

I found the author's description and insights into the growth of the central government well written and convincing. Another economic historian, Kevin Phillips, in his excellent book Wealth and Democracy employs compelling tables and charts to show how over the years, the top 1% of America's wealthiest have come to own an ever increasing amount of the country's (currently 40%) wealth. (The irony being that a country founded on the most egalitarian principles is becoming the least egalitarian.)

I would have liked to have seen similar charts and tables in Hamilton's Curse. For example the author argues that less central government and less taxation would be economically beneficial to the citizens. However, no charts supporting this contention such as - relationships between taxation rates and income data for developed countries - are offered. Aside from the absence of charts or tables, the author does present in an interesting fashion compelling evidence that all three branches of the central government have definitely tilted (if not ignored) the Constitution in usurping power from the state governments.

19th Century Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in 19th Century Books
Andrew Jackson: Symbol for an Age (Galaxy Books) ImageAndrew Jackson: Symbol for an Age (Galaxy Books)
by John William Ward
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1962-12-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops: $19.99
The Oregon Trail (Oxford World's Classics) ImageThe Oregon Trail (Oxford World's Classics)
by Francis Parkman Jr.
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2000-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.56
Price in other shops: $11.95
A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation ImageA Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation
by David W. Blight Ph. D.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2007-11-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops: $25.00
Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 ImageSea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
by Nathaniel Philbrick
Penguin Audio; Published: 2003-11-10; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $1.07
Price in other shops: $39.95
The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore ImageThe Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore
by David Dary
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2002-02-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.28
Price in other shops: $17.00
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text ImageThe Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text
by Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Arnold Douglas, Harold Holzer
Harpercollins; Published: 1993-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $49.79
The War With Spain in 1898 (The Macmillan Wars of the United States) ImageThe War With Spain in 1898 (The Macmillan Wars of the United States)
by David F. Trask
Free Pr; Published: 1981-06; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $45.00
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Old West ImageThe Complete Idiot's Guide to the Old West
by Mike Flanagan
Alpha; Published: 1999-07-13; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $63.64
Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State ImageGone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State
by Randolph B. Campbell
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2004-02-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.00
Price in other shops: $44.95
Roughing It (The Penguin American Library) ImageRoughing It (The Penguin American Library)
by Mark Twain
Penguin Classics; Published: 1981-12-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.65
Price in other shops: $16.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II ImageA History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II
by Murray N. Rothbard
Ludwig Von Mises Inst; Published: 2002-08-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.48
Price in other shops: $19.00
Who Killed the Constitution?: The Federal Government vs. American Liberty from World War I to Barack Obama ImageWho Killed the Constitution?: The Federal Government vs. American Liberty from World War I to Barack Obama
by Thomas E. Woods Jr., Kevin R. C. Gutzman
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2009-07-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.51
Price in other shops: $15.00
Blood Money: The Civil War and the Federal Reserve ImageBlood Money: The Civil War and the Federal Reserve
by John Graham
Pelican Publishing; Published: 2006-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.60
Price in other shops: $15.95
Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe ImageLincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Crown Forum; Published: 2006-10-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.42
Price in other shops: $22.95
Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century ImageNullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century
by Thomas E. Woods Jr.
Regnery Publishing; Published: 2010-06-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops: $24.95
How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, from the Pilgrims to the Present ImageHow Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, from the Pilgrims to the Present
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Crown Forum; Published: 2004-08-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.77
Price in other shops: $25.95
The Real Lincoln: A New Look at  Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War ImageThe Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Prima; Published: 2002-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $75.96
Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe ImageLincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2007-11-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.91
Price in other shops: $14.00
How Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, from the Pilgrims to the Present ImageHow Capitalism Saved America: The Untold History of Our Country, from the Pilgrims to the Present
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2005-08-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.55
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War ImageThe Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
by Thomas DiLorenzo
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2003-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.11
Price in other shops: $16.00