Hamilton was a war hero, but his role in the Revolution was hardly decisive. He accomplished very little at the Constitutional Convention. The Federalist Papers, while historically important, made little difference during the ratification process. His “Report on Manufactures” was ahead of its time, and was rejected by Congress. His interventions into national politics after 1796 were almost uniformly disastrous for his party. At the time of his death, he was a spent volcano.
And yet, he was an indispensable Founding Father, because:
- There would have been no Constitutional Convention without his persistence and energy;
- He is primarily responsible for the creation of our financial system, most of which survived the election of Republicans in 1800; and
- His vision for a dynamic capitalist America was ultimately realized, and is a huge part of the national DNA.
Would America be anything like the country it is today without him? Not a chance.