Hansen voyages enrolled history, and we know from that book that theyre all kinds of big patterns and that its the job of students and professional historians to figure out what the big pattern is because in our lives so much of what happens is so complex and chaotic and quick that we can figure out. Whats the overall trajectory. So some of the patterns weve been looking at are things like the effect of the environment upon us. Whether its all the things that nature hurls at us whether its a hurricane or you know a flood or a famine or even tiny microbes that drastically affect people like ebola. Weve also looked at things that are like mechanical things or technological inventions, and those are also big patterns. So for example the ways in which farming the i know department doesnt seem like a technology but the ways in which farming and the plow and things like that replaced hunting and gathering and that replacement of hunting and gathering by farming led from the neolithic into the paleolithic. Wow, what bigger pattern could there be than that . And other technologies too that have really affected our lives such as the invention of the Spinning Wheel faster Spinning Wheels or steam engines. And what did they do . They led to the replacement of manual labor with machine labor and as we know as you already know that gave us the industrial revolution. So those are giant patterns. And those were patterns i think are easier to see partly because theyre outsiderves. Theyre like actual objects. We can see and feel and touch but sometimes the most important patterns are the ones that are in here. The ones that we dont see, but they profoundly affect our understanding of our lives. Our basic assumptions and what i want to talk about today is the way in which a certain very old set of assumptions about how the world works. About violence and power and order and government how those changed radically and how we today we go about you know, assuming that certain things are the way they are and of course theyve always been that way, but we know they havent so what is that big pattern and what are the assumptions that have been changed then have been replaced by Something Else and how does that relate to the man on the 10 Bill Alexander hamilton who by the way . Is the most interesting man of the American Revolution i know this. Im actually publishing a novel about Alexander Hamilton. So im just telling you this its hes a really fun and interesting guy. So one of the big changes in the last two to three centuries in our assumptions has been the replacement of certain ideas by others. Now, what are those assumptions the first of those assumptions . Is that power . Is something that once you get you hold on to it tightly. You dont share it. Why would you share your power . Thats the old assumption . The old assumption is that whenever they can other people will try to seize your power from you . And now takes takes me to my first picture. I mean, this is an old idea that the people who will steal your stuff first are of course your neighbors. And this goes way way back very deep in human history. This isnt an actual cave painting but you know, i think its pretty funny in any case so thats thats a very ancient idea and its tied in with another idea. Which is that nations . Groups of people have no right to exist as a separate group of people with their own government and own borders. Thats something you win. And you defend it yourself . No ones ever going to defend it for you. And the first people who are going to try and rob you of it are of course who . Thank you your neighbors, of course. So whether thats the mongol invasion of poland or the aztecs conquering the talox collins. Actually, they never did beat the clocks columns, but thats a different story or Napoleon Bonaparte conquering almost all of europe. With the exception of mighty england or the Japanese Invasion and defeat of china in the 1930s. So thats a pattern. Its been there forever. Now its been replaced by something really weird. I say weird because its been replaced with something. Thats so unusual and World History that we take for granted today that we have to really say. How that get . How did why dont we operate that way anymore and what has replaced that set of ideas. And theres several things and i think you guys are going to recognize these ones. But because well actually all sets of these assumptions are kind of deep in our bones, but the other newer set of assumptions, is that actually every nation. Every group of people has has dignity and has the right to selfrule has the right to their own borders. And and in fact who are the first people are going to those for you . Your neighbors those for the most part . Okay, ukraine, we wont talk about that right now in rush, but for the most part, its the people around you who in solidarity with you will help to defend your borders who will protect you. And also the assumption that if you have a problem. That the best way to deal with it. Is not by getting up and slugging the person next to you. Dont do that that the best way to deal with a problem is by talking it through by arbitrating by mediating by in some way working it out. Right now thats very different from the caveman drawing or from the others. Youve just seen. Now thats a world. Thats the world we live in. The world for example of the United Nations right with the idea is not its not perfect doesnt work all the time, but people come. People come people beg to come countries want to be represented in the United Nations because they know that thats the place where your sovereignty will be defended by a community of people. Its exemplified by things like the european union, which has the flag. It reminds me a little bit of the old American Flag the original American Flag with the stars in a circle because they dont have 50 yet. All right, wait till they get 50. Its going to be hard. Theyre gonna youre gonna get something other than a circle i predict. And its a situation today. Were even people who really really dont like each other. In fact might be building bombs might not like iran will come to the United Nations on american soil and will have a conversation. Okay, the conversation not go like if we like but theres not that immediate resort to the first weapon because you know thats something that your neighbor will try to steal. Well try to overrun your borders instead, but you know. Is that youre basically safe as a nation . Okay, you have problems, but youre basically safe now you might say, okay. All right, so professor cobbs, how did we get there . Now in history often, especially in our textbooks. We rely a lot on what i would call proximate causes. Meaning the thing that happened like right next to it. And and in fact, we want to pick a date if we want to say, okay, when does this start a reasonable one is 1945 which was the founding of the United Nations. And the United Nations and on the left, by the way, you see here a poster that was actually kind of a World War Two era at the end. It was the it was talking about the preamble of the charter of the United Nations and on the right ive made in bigger print for people like me, but also people like you as i said, we the peoples of the United Nations determined to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good. Neighbors have resolved that the parties to any dispute shall first of all seek a solution by negotiation and so on so you might say, okay. Well i deal done. Thats when it started. But actually World History is not like a light switch in a classroom theyre no on off switches. In World History, we know you all know youve been in this class now. That the patterns really big patterns start somewhere farther back. Theres a moment at which it kind of new template. Gets laid and that trend picks up. Now there are things that war against the trend, but if a trend is really powerful like farming or the industrial revolution, even though some people hunt and hunt and gather etc sir that trend will ultimately prevail or at least it will become the dominant reality. So if we want to know where that starts in World History oddly enough we have to go back to the American Revolution. And this is not because the United States was the first postcolonial nation, which it was or the first modern democracy, which it was or the first federalist republic and modern history, which it was those are remarkable things, but they had precedents we didnt invent any of this stuff. Its important to always remember that but one of the things and i think probably the most remarkable thing that the United States did. The most remarkable thing. I personally think and ive studied all American History. Ive taught classes from jamestown to yesterday, but if i look and World History obviously, but if i look upon the most remarkable thing, i think the United States did in terms of World History was that it established a precedent for creating a durable piece . Between neighbors the idea that neighboring states could not go to war with each other could take down the barriers between them could even have a common citizenship and lo and behold a common currency and that they could do all of those things. So what id like to talk about today, and theyre really the focus of this whole talk. I know youre wondering what is the focus is on the constitution the story of the american constitution. How it created this precedent of sovereign states getting together not going to war cooperating and building immense prosperity as a result. And how thats the story of the american constitution is also the story. Of how it took the life of its staunchest defender. Alexander hamilton so to start with this whole question about the United States. We always say the United States, but actually thats a very modern thing in the 18th and 19th century if youre going to talk about the us you would say these United States these United States. That sounds so weird to our ears, doesnt it . So when did these United States which she was used . Well into the late 19th century. When did that become the United States . How did you get one country out of these various countries that were, you know various states . Now its important to remember apropos of this that and as we talk about the Us Constitution. That when the car that the United States has had two lives. I realize its very easy to forget about the first life because it was pretty short. The first life of the United States was from roughly 1776 to roughly 1788 89. Period of a decade and more thats when we were a confederation. Then the United States change this government had a second life and it became a federation a federal republic and thats a really key distinction because when the Country First started the we say the country but actually the states. All felt very different from one another. Yes, they spoke the same language sorta kinda depending whether youre a vermont or someone from the deep south. But they felt very different and they were very different and i have to Say Something about words here now because we use words now in ways that people didnt use them before for example the idea of a country what you would when you talked about your country you were talking about your state. If you were talking about the larger apparatus of the United States, you might use a very different word fact. Sometimes they would use the word empire. Ill explain why they use that word partly because they didnt have any other word for it. They couldnt figure out a way to describe a coalition of countries. And in fact one time one word that they sometimes use when they would say. Well, lets all get together have a conversation. They would use a word. They would use the Word Congress now. We think of congress right as like, you know these people from one country they get together and they have kind of like a parliament. No, no, no, no. That wasnt the original meaning of congress. So congress was a meeting of separate states separate nations separate countries. So like the congress of west failure which ended the wars of the reformation was a of independent nation states. So that for example when George Washington great here of the American Revolution. When he retired well retire the first time this guy retired a lot of times they cant pulling him back poor fella. When he retired the first time he went to it was richmond, virginia and they gave him a big banquet and they said we want to thank you. For your great sacrifices in heroism on behalf of your country. Meaning, virginia and on behalf of the empire meaning this United States thing conglomeration thing. And even Thomas Jefferson when he wrote about virginia, he always said my country was virginia. So the us and the 13th states were initially they were part of a big British Empire. In fact only half of the british colonies got together and went into revolution there wasnt there were a bunch of others you and you think well, why didnt canada or quebec or newfoundland or the west indies . Why didnt they join . Well, they said big story, but they didnt join. So what happened is when these countries states got together and there were 13 of actually there were 14 because vermont broke off from new york. Nobody acknowledged it when that happened. Poor vermont but what happened is that they were they felt very different from each other. So, for example, i always like to point out. Minnesota and jamaica both british colonies not one nation under reggae that they they didnt feel like they were part of one country. There was no automatic one countryness about these 13 colonies now countries any more than we today would say that jamaica and minnesotaans are part of one natural country or that californians and canadians are part of one natural country. So what happened is essentially after the country is formed. They began to operate as different countries. I mean i say the country but really the states operated as separate entities. They had their own money. You see a dollar bill from george up here, or maybe its four dollars. Sorry. Its a four dollar bill from georgia. They had their own militias. They had their own treasuries. They had their own tariffs. They had their own citizens. They were separate countries, but there was a problem with this. There was a loose confederation. It was this but it was so loose this Continental Congress. They could not get people to show up for the meetings. I tell you this was worth than a section on friday morning. Really. I know some of you are in sections on friday morning. Youll know what im talking about here. Its very hard. It was very hard to get people even show up. In fact when the british we got the peace treaty from great britain. Congress could not get a quorum to approve it. I couldnt get a quorum. Why because congress meant nothing, it was a security guarantee during the revolution and once its function was gone. There was no real reason to hold together as a country. But there were reasons this Continental Congress there that it needed to have more power than it did. Because you see the moment at which this empire broke apart into 13 states this postcolonial moment, right . Now that would have been perfectly fine. These little ittybitty states getting along their own if that had happened and lets say 1950 after the un was formed because then these little ittybitty states no matter how rickety were they were no matter whether they had a great army. It wouldnt matter. Thered be neighbors. There might be even the United States to pull out its army and navy and to defend their sovereignty when kuwait was invaded. In 1990 the un unanimously said oh my gosh, we all have to rush to the defense of kuwait because that was a moment that that they could be protected, but that wasnt 1787. That wasnt 1776 and there are a lot of problems. Most of them having to do with the way the colonies treated each other now, we know that usually what happens in a kind of postcolonial moment. Lets say theres a big empire, you know, the earth shakes it all falls apart into pieces, right . So the United States and looking at this map here, we see the 13 colonies that were looking at this little space in here vermont and new york. It doesnt exist doesnt have a name now vermonters. No, it has a name but nobody else acknowledges it and look what happens over here. This is all the land that the british gave the United States after the revolution because they were bighearted they said oh, okay. Just take the whole kit and caboodle the whole enchilada shorts. Well what happens . Ooh neighbors start to fight over it because thats what neighbors do. So i dont want to take too much time with this but you know, massachusetts, connecticut, new york, north carolina. Georgias into the boot into the mix spain, of course, there are foreigners too who might want your stuff now by the way, florida is spanish. Well, it had been british then it had been spanish it goes back and forth. This is one of the colonies. That wanted to come with the United States. In 1776. Thats when it was still a british colony for it. Went back to florida again. So that was a problem and this had always been a problem going back to the greek citystates that im hoping you remember World History 100 here. That the greek citystates whenever they had persia ready to clobber them. Well, they were able to get together and fight off the bad guys. But go away persian. What happens . Oh your worst enemy are the spartans or the athenians. Its always your neighbor. So here the neighbors start to look a scans at each other after the revolution no wars yet. But there are trade wars actually new york being kind of a big state they clamp down on trade from, connecticut and new jersey. And they put up tariffs are like, you know, if you want to sell us anything good. Were gonna have to pay a tax because we dont want you to we want our farmers to sell goods. We dont want your farmers to sell our people goods. They also had internal problems. This is a picture depicting shays rebellion, and shays rebellion was one of the most notable there were others conflicts within the colonies themselves. Well now now were going to call them states or countries, right . So you understand in this period of time and its really even still true today that there are really only two real functions of government. And if youre a government doesnt do these two things it has no right to exist, although today the un might protect you but especially in this period time when there was nobody to protect you. The two basic functions are government are to keep internal control. And to keep away predators internal control and keep out the bad guys if you cannot do that, you will not exist period your you will be over and so shays rebellion was a situation where this took place in, massachusetts. Massachusetts had no army or navy they had a militia. They called out the militia. Nobody came i cant remember the numbers. Its Something Like, you know, 5,000 people are supposed to be in the militia and like 22 showed up or something. Its those arent the exact numbers, but it was just glaring now then you might say well what about that like, you know continental army. What about that us . Oh, well, that doesnt really exist under the confederation fact. What happened after revolutionary war. Is that the Continental Congress disbanded the army George Washington went home . Of course. They so the army went way down. They sold their last naval ship. In 1784 to a private buyer. There was no navy. There was no coast guard. There was no army. Because all these states are supposed to defend themselves, but they couldnt they were having trouble keeping internal order eventually by the way the Continental Congress in this situation got a ponies up a little money and a few states kind of help out, but theyre not able to do this function of government, which is to keep internal control. Nor nor will they be able in a real showdown to defend themselves from the really big powers in the world . Those countries that matter. I like this picture because what this picture shows is something that was pretty common. This is the story of poland. Now i know some of you have heard me talk a lot about poland because poland is just like an amazingly interesting country from a historical point of view. But what happened in the 1780s 1790s is that polands neighbors of course began slowly gobbling away at poland. So here you see catherine the great seated of russia. Shes beautiful woman. You have frederick the great of prussia. You have russian advisors and what are they doing . Theyre looking at the map and theyre saying, you know, i like that part. I have my pen here, and im going to start were going to start gobbling it up and why because poland could not keep internal control internal order and poland could not defend itself from outside predators. They actually had a sort of democracy at the time another long story. But what happened in this in this particular graph what youre seeing in different shades of blue is the gradual elimination of poland which did not exist. Between 1795 and 1919 why . Because it couldnt guarantee its own sovereignty and nobody owes a country a living. You have to get it for yourself in this period of time very different today. So what happened . Is that poland gradually disappeared . And the problem for the United States was that. Even their independence you might say well wait a minute, you know, wed fought a revolution. Wed like defeated, you know, the British Empire. Well, we could do that again if we had to but in fact the United States won the revolution because of our wonderful allies to whom we should always be eternally grateful. That is the french. Are more frenchmen at the last climactic battle of the American Revolution and french ships than there were american than there were colonial. So the United States had to rely on a foreign power which by the way, then it went through a revolution and had a lot of problems. Oh my gosh, you know france fell apart for quite a long time there. So the United States was unable having trouble anyway struggling with trying to maintain internal control and outside defense. And so the problem was you have this beautiful potentially beautiful experiment. But it could fall apart. And what it would show if it fell apart was that power cant be shared. The people cant be trusted and your neighbors will always steal your stuff. Right, so they wanted to they wanted to find a way. To create something where you could create enough unity in enough power that the states could remain different from each other. They could remain sovereign they could have control over their destinies. They could feel like alabama and alaska and delaware and you know, they could be themselves and have self and i could have autonomy but at the same time they would have something over them that could protect them. And that when necessary could make the bad guy make them behave right . Whether thats internally or externally. And so that brings us to the man of the hour or at least this hour which is to say Alexander Hamilton. I know youre like how does how are we going to get to this guy in the 10 dollar bill . Well, hamilton is so interesting for lots of reasons. He was very different from many of the other great founders of the American Republic and there are many i mean, this is not not something obviously does this alone at all, but hes one of the most important and some historians have actually argued perhaps the key figure and helping us realize the need for a Central Government and actually executing it making it happen. That he was one of the key leaders and probably the first so, let me tell you a little bit about hamilton. Hamilton was from this place. He was he grew up on st. Croix which is an island in the west indies. He was actually born in nevis, which is an even tinier island. Thats a part of the British Empire. So he was a british citizen as were the members of the 13 colonies, but he wasnt a local boy. He was a fern or he was an outsider and this was something that always affected him people during the revolution after revolution when he was in government like yeah, you know, but hes not one of us really hes an immigrant. Perhaps one of the first real immigrants and power in american politics but theres nothing about Alexander Hamilton that made him slightly different because not only was he kind of an outsider that way but anyway, he was sort of socially an outsider. Its a tragic story his parents werent married. They werent married not because they didnt love each other. They would have wanted to be married but as it turned out his mother had been previously married and in those days if you were previously married, and they didnt like why you got divorced or whatever you could were forbidden ever to marry again by the way, the guy could marry again, but the woman couldnt i know. Things have changed. So what happened is that alexanders parents met they fell in love they lived together. They had children and all of their children were ill legitimate from illegal point of view. They were as we would say that and the parlance of the time they were and that was a great deep social stain at that time. It was very very deep social stain. So this was something when you say he left the west indies, theyre kind of was a reason he got out of town. The other thing is that as it went on in his life his father abandoned. This family to illegitimate sons and then his mother died. And alexander and his mother caught the same west indian crazy flu, and they had one bed and they were in bed sleeping next to each other this boy and his mom and she died next to him. And this is the man whos on the 10 bill and the other thing about hamilton so he comes he gets out of town. He comes to Columbia College this by the way is the earliest representation. We have hamilton as a boy. His father was scottish, by the way, his mother was french a french derivation french who you going to which means protestant. And like im sure some of the students here in the classroom today. He was on scholarship because he had no money which many had to be a very good student. I hope you are all minding your grades very carefully if you are scholarship students. Right anyway, so as he wrote at 17 when he came to United States and wow, there was this revolution going on. He he gravitated he understood perhaps instinctively decide there that laws. Are sometimes wrong . You know, why should he be legitimate . Why he should by the way, he got none of his mothers property either because she did have one legitimate son and that son got everything so he understood that laws are sometimes wrong and as he wrote when he was 17 years old, this becomes one of the big painful so the American Revolution he wrote that the sacred rights of mankind. Are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records they are written as with a sunbeam and the whole volume of human nature and can never be erased. Now i know theyre probably no 17 year olds in this audience. So i want you to get up tomorrow and get working earlier and harder so that you can be one of these people who has such profound effect very early on. Now i also joined the revolution and he became initially in artillery officer in the revolution very, you know, i had he was worked his way from the ground up. So, you know, he didnt come in as you know from the top levels other people who were really kind of aristocrats were given officer ships automatically. So he works his way up and he not only works his way up. Hes so smart. Hes so interesting. Is so alive. That at the age of 22 george, washington sees what hes doing in the way of his artwork in the artillery. Hes like wow. This guy is Something Else. Any plucks hamilton out of this army and says i would like you to be my principal aid and adams becomes a perm. I said adam, im sorry. Hamilton becomes the principal aid to George Washington now as a result of this the other thing thats interesting about hamilton. Is that therefore hes in a position to know. How really wrong things can go if you dont have a central authority. Um as the situation normal as a military term situation normal all messed up snafu. Since this is television i wont say what the f stands for but in any case thats a military notion that it things go wrong so fast and the problem is and this is a picture of valley forge by the way. This is lafayette with washington hamiltons not in this picture. But it wasnt the british army that starved american troops at valley forge. It was the Continental Congress that starved british true american troops at valley forge because the states were so jealous of each other. Theyre kind of like little separate countries that they hog their militias and they hog their money and they hog their supplies for themselves. And so when the war was over hamilton realized and because he had been this aid so think of this youre this person your job is if youre an aide that means you kind of push papers around your write letters you go on campaigns, but you really see the whole thing and you realize there needs to be some coordination here. So when the war was over, there were a number of people but hamilton was the first who began writing about the idea that we needed to do something more and he actually was went to a convention that was held and i think was annapolis, maryland. And it was supposed to be again a gathering of all the states five out of 13 show up. Hello, five out of 13 show up. Because they were supposed to work out. On navigation rights on the potomac so of all the things they could fight over even such things as like whos right. Who is it . Whos right is it to navigate the potomac, or virginia . And at that gathering he got reacquainted with this man james madison. And madison and hamilton really hit it off. They found that they really thought alike about these problems. Now if you remember American History you go. Okay. Lets see hamilton. I mean james madison. I know father of the constitution. And he was that but it was actually hamilton who wrote the letter because that that meeting they said, okay. Listen these articles of confederation are just like you know not working. So lets have a meeting. Lets call all the states. Lets hope some of them show up. Were more of them show up this time to revise the articles of confederation get something better. So that we dont get invaded by france or britain again or spain or whoever we dont start fighting with each other. And so it was hamilton who wrote that letter at madison was one of the chief organizers. However, it was madisons new went to George Washington and said buddy. You need to be there. Out of retirement with you yet again. And so they met at the Constitutional Convention in philadelphia. In 1787 to figure out is there some way that neighboring states cannot fight with each other. And what they were trying to reconcile here was a basically a really fundamental conundrum of human government. Which is how can you reconcile the idea that all states all countries . Can can do whatever they want. Theyre perfectly sovereign with the idea that you need somebody to tell them what to do. Right how can you be master of your own destiny and have somebody else tell you what to do, but thats kind of what they needed now. There was no model for government for this by the way the kind of model the oldest model was that of Papal Authority the pope right . I know you remember that at one point the pope said, oh, lets see columbus discover the new world. I know lets give half to spain and half to portugal. And like it sticks everybody goes. Okay. He said so. So that was the old mood of authority. Nobody wanted that anymore that had been done away with in 1648 by the piece of westphalia that was gone. So, what was the other model . Well the other model well was kind of like the british model British Empire now in this case meaning, you know, the Kings Authority over like scotland and wales and ireland etc. Now the true problems with that first of all, nobody like george iii after the revolution like, you know tui tui tui, right . Nobody is interested in george the third or what he what their experience might teach us. So that was a big part of the problem the other part of the problem. Is that in this case when you have an authority that authority tends to actually be from one of the countries thats in coalition together. Hes english and so he asked the irish on the welsh how they felt about this empire. They felt they were less than an americans didnt want that. They wanted. New hampshire and virginia and new york and massachusetts and connecticut and pennsylvania and virginia to all have the same rights, so they wanted an authority over them, but they couldnt figure out what it be so they came up with a model. Thats a model that persisted today and im going to take a little license here and show you graphic that a friend helped me come up with they needed an umpire. They needed something that wasnt an empire. They needed. Something that would coordinate between the states call people out when theyre wrong, but then get out of the way and let the game resume let everybody be equal within this game. And so essentially what happened is that they revised the constitution they rewrote the whole thing by the way were people happy about that. No anybody who didnt attend the meeting was like, you know, thats not what you were supposed to be doing at that meeting and also by the way, they did it behind closed doors. And this was also big no. No, theyre like well like what are you guys cooking up in there . So there was a big protest there was a lot of controversy when it came out. And this is the beginning of partisanship real deep partisanship in american government. Now the key the key votes and all this. Where the biggest states now you say . Well why some of the biggest states well because they had the most money and wealth and power. What do they need these little shrimps for what do they need delaware for or they dont need them . Right so the big states, new york virginia the wealthiest of them all because of slavery because of plantation tobacco primarily and later cotton, massachusetts a big state that had great ships. They dont need this thing. And so what happens is the big swing states, you know are the ones are these ones well now in virginia by the way, okay, they got George Washington. All right, if washington says, its good. Like we all agree, its good. So but there were people who passionately opposed to james monroe wasnt an opponent patrick henry. Give me liberty. Give me death. That man opposed the constitution and was bitter about its passage. Massachusetts was a squeaker. They got it through but the other really big state was New York New York is huge as we still know today new york the most important states of all so it was Alexander Hamilton who wasnt from any state who realized that People Better . Stop better . Stop being provincial and better get it together and understand that we all need each other, but he lived in new york and he very much identified with new york, and he married in new yorker. And he became the principal organizer of this publication called the federalist papers and in the federalist papers what they did is they spelled out all the reasons why new yorkers should vote for this thing and make it true that there would be a the United States not simply a these United States and the word they used i found this very interesting. Actually. This is based on my own research, but its there for anybody to see so, you know, i didnt invent this at all. Hamilton says, you know between conflicts we need an umpire john jay whos one of the other authors says an umpire would decide between the states to compel acquiescence if they get into trouble madison said about the us congress what better umpires could be desire than these representatives in congress now by the way, all three guys are up there hamiltons on the far right . So you think oh, maybe hes like the big organizer he wrote twice as many of these essays as anybody else. He wrote Something Like 50 madison wrote 25 john jay. Well, he wrote like four. So but you know, theyre all up there. So Matt Hamilton is the primary organizer of this and the idea is that what would happen is an umpire would coordinate the states. But no state, could rob another. Fight with another oppress another because there would be something there would be a body above them. That wouldnt rob them of their identity, but would make them work together. And and then what happens next and this brings us back to hamiltons own story because hamilton as it turns out George Washington really likes hamilton. They have worked together all the way through the revolution. He really trusts hamilton. So when it comes time to actually go. Okay. All right. We got the document. Hmm. Its really sort of like getting a new piece of technology. Have you ever taken out the the instruction manual . Youre like i do not know how to put this ikea desk together. I just do not anyway. So theres this manual thats the Us Constitution hamilton. Whos a very good organizers in many ways. Hes empowered by by washington who put makes him secretary of the treasury in other words put some in charge of the budget puts them in charge of creating the mechanisms of government and this is when hamilton becomes personally, very very controversial because he says okay, were gonna do it. We are going to create a Central Government one of the things he does is he creates he pushes through congress whats called the bank of the United States. He says, you know a government needs a bank. We need money we need to get taxes which by the way nobody likes to pay. So that makes you pretty unpopular. Thats what shays rebellion was about by the way. Nobody wanted to pay taxes. So now hamilton has to be the big bad guy. His is the Biggest Agency in the federal government. He has Something Like 450 employees because you have to have a lot of tax collectors and accountants etc Thomas Jefferson has three hes secretary of the of the Foreign Relations basically a secretary of state so he doesnt have to do. Madison become hamilton becomes the lightning rod. For all of those people who said i told you so this isnt going to work. And i dont like it. So he becomes very very controversial, but he pushes he perseveres. He gets things through the congress this by the way is a representation of independence hall, which if you go to philadelphia, and i i passionately hope you you will independence halls on the left and on the right is the place that a lot of times people dont go theyre like, all right. I just want to see that place for like the declaration of independence was signed and and the constitution but on the right is the congress and thats kind of where the rubber meets the road and it was here that hamilton who was a member of the executive branch. Under the president he had to push through these various measures this by the way is the first us congress. It looks kind of like a high school classroom. Doesnt it . Its smaller than our classroom. And thats where the representatives of the states met upstairs from. There was the Senate Chamber you can go there today, by the way, i was so charmed i went there for the first time saw this haul for the first time just maybe two years ago and in the stairwell theres a portrait of get this beautiful huge portrait of louis the 16th of france. And of Marie Antoinette his wife. Both of whom of course lost their heads in the french revolution. I thought how poignant it was that america which prides itself on being a democracy and all of that that i thought it was very honorable that they that they, you know acknowledged the gift of france. However, this wasnt always a happy place. I made it sound like oh and then they worked together. Actually, they did not and in fact as the as the second or third election approach of the United States government. This is what happened in the us congress. These are two guys who just started wailing on each other. They are from different Political Parties because what happened again, is that Political Parties began to emerge and this you think the us congress looks bad now. Im a telling you. They look like, you know, its like sunday school or something compared to whether the us congress at times operated now, it wasnt always a freeforall but the point is that potential for violent conflict. Between neighbors still lurked there under the surface and so what happened is that that this need for an umpire this need that they created it, but could they actually get it to work and the real test was the election of 1800 in which two former friends . I mean jefferson and adams were such good buddies. They shared a house they lived together was like a big pajama party. They were both in paris at a certain time at the same time and they they really great friends, but they became such enemies in this election because they were different parties. Nobody thought parties would actually arise they thought oh, you know that cant happen to us. Like, you know, we all agree with each were all friends. And neighbors friends and neighbors so what happened . Is that actually it did work. This was the first peaceful transfer of power in all World History from one group in control of the executive branch of government to another there have been other Political Parties. But this idea that you would give to the people you absolutely hated the power to run the government the executive power. This was really truly unprecedented and it was because of the role that this congress this umpire was playing and that was a precedent that endured for generations didnt always work. I know youre thinking wait. What about that civil war . Okay. It didnt always work. But after the civil war people came back and they worked together again. Its worked up to the very present. I always this one of my favorite examples of the umpire working at home. Which was a 1957 in little rock, arkansas. When nine students younger than yourselves were denied admission to the local high school because they were africanamerican. Well if the states were fully sovereign, thats the end of the conversation. But there was an umpire and president Dwight Eisenhower sent down the 101st airborne. To walk each of these students to school every day. Four year and this shows the students initially going in and these are the guys with their rifles. This is the federal umpire at work that works up in fact to the present. But lets get back to our man of the arcs. I know youre thinking but how does he end up dead . And of course by the way, whos he killed who kills him the sitting Vice President of the United States the sitting Vice PresidentUnited States whos then indicted for murder in two states in, new jersey new york. Aaron burr is indicted for the murder of the former secretary treasury Alexander Hamilton by this time had stepped down was now in private life and it was aaron burr who killed him now. Why is aaron burr kill him . Well because of the bird grew to hate hamilton for a variety of reasons, but probably the most important one for our purposes is what happened in that election of 1800 because the Us Constitution was still like kind of funky like there. They hadnt figured out all the tricks of this operating manual and one of the problems with the operating manual is that if people on a ticket, lets say, you know, barack obama and joseph biden they run together on one ticket, right and then you have a republican ticket at this time if you ran together, then you you both actually could potentially get the same number of electoral votes and if you got the same number of electoral votes, then like whose president whose Vice President . Its like weird the tickets didnt operate like they operate today how to knew this but there are others who didnt in fact, aaron burr was one of those people said. Oh, dont worry about it. Go ahead and elect me with Thomas Jefferson. I know hes meant to be president. Well, it was a different matter when this got thrown into the house of representatives now who dominates the house of representatives, the Opposition Party cause theyre the ones who just got kicked out of office and theyre not too happy about this. So their party the federalists john adams etc. They had to decide between ooh their favorite person to hate Thomas Jefferson and their second favorite person to hate aaron burr. Well, the chances were very good that they would have selected Thomas Jefferson and the person who came to the aid of aaron burr. Among many but the probably the most important person was Alexander Hamilton who wrote letter after letter after letter saying you have to elect jefferson because hes a man of honor, you know, i cant stand the this fellow but hes a man of honor he has principles. I dont agree with him on 200 100 different things, but hes a man of honor he loves his country. And aaron burr is an absolute opportunist. So what happened . Is that the us congress these federalists deciding about the fate of Thomas Jefferson voted 30 for times. And aaron burr sat on his hands the whole time. He never said oh, i do understand that. Jefferson was the guy you wanted no. Finally and there was the 35th voter so that congress decided by one vote to elect Thomas Jefferson the third president of the United States when they did that. They showed the power the purpose the promise of a federal umpire. What better representatives what better umpires could be desired than people in congress to decide the fate of the country in making this decision. They probably preserve the union by the way, john adams at this time thought that there would be a civil war. In fact many people. Im sure at the back up here slightly. This was after by the way, the federalists had totally tortured Alexander Hamilton for like a decade. He was im sorry to say unfaithful to his wife. They leaked the news the press this was his wife a beautiful wonderful woman eliza hamilton the man who probably did that dirty deed was james monroe a later president of the United States. A situation partisans were shipped was so bad that the eldest son of alexander. Hamilton was killed three years before his father. In a partisan duel but in any case Alexander Hamilton was so afraid as was adams as anna adams wrote that a civil war was expected and what they thought might happen in 1900 was what had happened in france, which was everyones heads were coming off and the jacoban outrage happened. So instead what happened. Is that this umpire made this decision Alexander Hamilton was challenged to a duel by aaron burr subsequently. He goes to the duel. He does not fire his gun. At aaron burr, he does not want to take aaron burrs life. But aaron burr. Once his and so essentially what Alexander Hamilton does is he helps to preserve the spirit of democracy. He helps to establish the United States. He helps to prove by an umpire is important and all of that is no small accomplishment for the orphaned panelists. Brat of a scotch peddler which was how john adams had described him. So as i said this really establishes a pattern in World History a pattern from which we all benefit today i leave with you with my traditional parting shot, which is how could a father with seven Young Children . Not defend his life in a duel for that you will have to read my next book. Thank you. Thank you. Well, good evening, everyone both so i thank you so much for coming tonight. Thank you to everyone here at the lyceum. And then thank you for everyone on zoom and joining through cspan as well. Before we start i would like to inform everyone that this lecture will be recorded and available for later viewing. My name is Angelique Moss and im the chairwoman of the alexandria khan sister City Committee. We are a volunteer City Committee tha