Differences Between Washington And Hamilton

As the number one fan of the musical “Hamilton”, I was immediately drawn to Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America by Stephen F Knott and Tony Williams. I have always been interested in the relationship between George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, but have heard little about it prior to this book. I was really pulled into this book when I read the second paragraph of the introduction, “But one of the more important founding collaborations has been overlooked by readers: the unlikely partnership of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton” (pg XI). This sentence leads to the main point, which examines the odd yet critical alliance between Washington and Hamilton. Knott and Williams both have extensive political
backgrounds. Stephen F. Knott is a professor at the United States Naval War College where he teaches National Security Affairs. As well as writing multiple books on Alexander Hamilton and George Washington seperately, he was a staff member of the JFK Presidential Library and led the presidential history program, so he has demonstrated a large interest specifically in presidential and founding father topics. His partner while writing this book, Tony Williams, brought a more creative style to the table. Though he has a taught various history classes for over 15 years and is a Professional Instructor at the Bill of Rights Institute, he also taught literature, so he was able to structure this book in a strong and persuasive manner. The authors purpose is to explain the strange pair of Hamilton and Washington, which is rarely acknowledged. They have an intended audience of students and historians alike who typically hear about more popular historical pairs but are curious to learn more. This book was written around the same time the hit Broadway Musical “Hamilton” came out. This musical really brought the relationship between Washington and Hamilton to light, which likely inspired people to research more about the two. The main thesis statement of this book is that, while they were an unlikely duo, Washington and Hamilton played a crucial part in the Revolutionary War and forming the America we know today. This was convincing for me because they provided evidence that showed their successes and the contributions these founding fathers brought to the country, both separately and as a team, as seen in chapter 4 “Hamilton finally won command at Yorktown and stormed the British defenses during the decisive battle of the war” (pg 63). They also include examples of how well the two worked together. For example, “Washington and Hamilton labored to hold the army together and find a way to defeat the British, becoming intimates who shared the horrors of war and the decisions that determined military success.” (pg 62). This was the first time the pair had met, and they were immediately leading the army together effectively. This leads me to believe that their thesis statement is both strong and convincing. The main contribution the authors made to the field was giving an in depth analysis of the relationship between Washington and Hamilton. There are numerous books about other combinations like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, but writing this book provides people with a new source for research which historians may not have has before as it brings all of their encounters into one place. Throughout the book, Knott & Williams use comparisons in order to analyze the similarities and differences between Washington and Hamilton and support their thesis.
The first two chapters specifically do this, as they go into detail about how different both of their childhoods were. This is emphasized in chapter 1, “George Washington and Alexander Hamilton could not have had more different childhoods. Washington was born to a moderately successful planter… in Virginia… Hamilton, on the other hand, was raised in the Caribbean by his mother and then orphaned” (pg 1). They go on to explain how Washington was raised on a wealthy farm and how Hamilton struggled and eventually had to raise himself. By including these compelling comparisons, they are able to shock the reader with how these polar opposites could be such an unbelievable team and further strengthen their
thesis.
These two authors clearly wanted this to be an authentic and historically accurate book, as it was very well-researched.
Throughout the text there are subscripts below various words. When you turn to the back of the book, you will find a notes section that cites all the information and ranges from about 30-150 notes per chapter. For example,”...as better than nothing,he wished in his place to offer a few remarks ’121”(pg 160). This precedes a 21-page long bibliography, which includes a page and a half dedicated simply to the primary sources used. They also looked at a large variety of books and archives while writing their book. The primary sources and wide range of other sources leads me to the conclusion that the sources are reliable and this was a very well-researched
book. Overall, while I admire the hard work the authors put into this book and the risk they took illustrating this strange alliance, I felt the book was dull. I often found myself struggling to trudge through the pages as all the words started to blend together. The book was filled with writing similar to”Near Trenton, Washington’s army crossed the Delaware River and destroyed the unused boats for miles around to deny the British pursuit” which focused more on the war of the time (pg 78). Though I can see how this text could be appealing to military historians, I was expecting more of a political view on the subject and was therefore disappointed. Nonetheless, I appreciate these authors for taking a step and writing about this topic so others can educate themselves on the topic of Washington and Hamilton.

Works Cited
Williams, Tony, and Stephen F. Knott. Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America. Sourcebooks, 2015.
Williams, Tony. “Tony Williams, Author at The Imaginative Conservative.” The Imaginative Conservative, www.theimaginativeconservative.org/author/tony-williams.