AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Alexander Hamilton

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One of the most controversial men of his age, Alexander Hamilton was a gifted statesman brought down by the fatal flaws of stubbornness, extreme candor and arrogance. His life and career were marked by a stunning rise to power, scandal and tragedy. He had one of the most notorious love affairs of any public figure in American history and met his death in a startling act of political violence - the famous duel with Aaron Burr. But his contributions as a statesman survive. As first Secretary of the Treasury during the tumultuous early years of the republic, Hamilton led the transformation of the young country into a commercial and industrial powerhouse. He was the one founder who had a vision, not of what America was, but of what it could become. This episode tells the story of the underappreciated genius who laid the groundwork for the nation's modern economy - including the banking system, Wall Street and an "opportunity society" in which talent and hard work, not birth, determined success.  Visit the website...