Hamilton Versus Wall Street : The Core Principles of the American System of Economics

If you are concerned about getting our economy out of its current crisis, this is the book for you. Spannaus argues that if Alexander Hamilton were alive today, he would be Wall Street's biggest critic, and she proceeds to show how his principles for economic growth, later known as the American System of Economics, were the exact opposite of those speculative practices of today, how they were applied in our history, and how we might apply them now.
     While Ron Chernow's biography provided an exhaustive review of Hamilton's life, Spannaus homes in on his core ideas, starting from his Report on Manufactures. There are no romantic flourishes, as in the Musical, but the reader will find many shockers about Hamilton's attacks on plutocratic practices, and the astonishing spread of his ideas after his death. The periods of our history where Hamilton's ideas were implemented were the most productive for our prosperity, notably those of Presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.

      This is not a dry academic book. The content of the American System is delivered in 11 concise chapters which clearly delineate Hamiltonian principles, and the actions of those who implemented them. Numerous readers have commented on how approachable the content is for a book on economics. They have also shown surprise at the importance of the manufacturing perspective from the early days of our republic, and the connection between the nation's political economy and our prospects for political unity, up until today.