Jacob Cooke speaks about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Cooke seeks to dispel common beliefs about Hamilton’s life, such as his long-standing conflict with Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton’s alleged anti-Democraticism, and his death at the hands of Aaron Burr during a duel, which many believe was an act of suicide on Hamilton’s part. As secretary of the treasury, Hamilton fought for a strong American economy and wished to unify the colonies as much as possible; to this end, he also believed in a strong role for the American president. John Agresto joins the conversation.
At the time of this interview, Cooke, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1981-82), was professor of history at Lafayette College. Agresto, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center, was special programs officer at the Center.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
