Washington And Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America

In their book, Washington and Hamilton: the Alliance that Forged America, authors Stephen F. Knott and Tony Williams describe how the unique and “indispensable relationship” between George Washington and Alexander Hamilton became essential to the founding of America. Knott (a professor of national security affairs at the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island) and Williams (the professional development director at the Bill of Rights Institute and program director of the Washington, Jefferson & Madison Institute in Virginia) are both historians who describe the invaluable relationship shared between George Washington and Hamilton. Their book describes how the two men of such diverse backgrounds shared similar ambitions and contemplated a like minded vision for the future of America, despite the heated controversy inflicted by their opponents. While many historians provide detailed accounts of the relationships between the founding fathers, Knott and Williams reveal several …show more content…
Washington himself emerged from a respected planter family in Virginia, and from an impressionable age, he became closely acquainted with courtly manners and customs of the best English culture. In contrast to Washington’s dignity and poise, Hamilton grew up in the Caribbean as an impoverished orphan from the “bastard brat of a Scottish peddler.” Nevertheless, these diverse backgrounds provided each man with a unique repertoire of skills and experiences that would benefit their future alliance. The authors claimed that Washington learned valuable skills such as surveying, horsemanship, and the arts of manners, deference, and genteel conversation, while Hamilton learned essential knowledge in management, bookkeeping, currency exchange, and republican ideals of Enlightenment. Together, these men complemented each other with the skills that forged an “indispensable