The Most Famous Founding Father You’ve Never Heard of Was Hamilton's Arch-Nemesis and a Deficit Hawk

The Most Famous Founding Father You’ve Never Heard of Was Hamilton's Arch-Nemesis and a Deficit Hawk

Alexander Hamilton had a nemesis… and it was not Aaron Burr. After Hamilton enacted a wide-scale spending program to build up America's military and infrastructure, and thus send it into debt, newly-elected President Thomas Jefferson chose a Secretary of the Treasury to dismantle his system—Albert Gallatin.

Considered a “foreigner, a tax rebel, and a dangerously clever man,” the Geneva-born Gallatin was despised by Hamilton and the Federalists. During their political careers, these two economic masterminds were locked in a battle to surmount the other’s financial system for the new nation.

During his twelve years as Secretary of the Treasury, Gallatin overcame his predecessor by
-- Repaying half of the national debt
-- Containing the federal government by restraining its fiscal power
-- Abolishing internal taxes in peacetime
-- Slashing spending

Today I'm talking with Gregory May, author of the new book Jefferson’s Treasure: How Albert Gallatin Saved the New Nation from Debt.

We discuss Gallatin’s rise to power, his tumultuous years at the Treasury, and his enduring influence on American fiscal policy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(1074)

Assassin's Creed's Resident Historian Maxime Durand on Mixing Fact with Fiction

Assassin's Creed's Resident Historian Maxime Durand on Mixing Fact with Fiction

Like it or not, far more millennials will learn about Renaissance and medieval history through Assassin's Creed than they ever will through a history book. That can be dispiriting on the one hand —the...

30 Okt 201757min

Cruel and Unusual (Medieval) Punishment

Cruel and Unusual (Medieval) Punishment

An inquisitor thirsty for a confession had plenty of medieval tools of torture at his disposal: the iron maiden, the judas cradle, the rack, or the brazen bull. Turns out many of these devices are fab...

27 Okt 201713min

The Easter Uprising of 1916

The Easter Uprising of 1916

Learn about one of the most important events in modern Irish history. On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a group of Irish nationalists proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic. They, along wi...

26 Okt 20179min

Misattributed Quotes—No, Mark Twain Didn't Say That

Misattributed Quotes—No, Mark Twain Didn't Say That

Thomas Jefferson once said you can't believe everything you read on the Internet. With those extremely true words in mind, let's look at other quotes that are widely believed to be authentic but total...

25 Okt 20178min

How to Build a 13th-Century Castle From Scratch

How to Build a 13th-Century Castle From Scratch

In a remote forest clearing in Burgundy, France, a 13th-century castle is slowly being constructed using only the tools, techniques, and materials that would have been available to the builders of the...

24 Okt 20176min

Telling Japan’s Story in The Last Samurai, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Medal of Honor—Dan King

Telling Japan’s Story in The Last Samurai, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Medal of Honor—Dan King

The Japanese military of World War Two has a nasty reputation—kamikaze pilots, baby killers, and brain-washed, honor-obsessed soldiers who threw away their lives for a lost cause. Parts of this reputa...

23 Okt 20171h 46min

Teddy Roosevelt’s Journey Through Uncharted Amazonian Jungle

Teddy Roosevelt’s Journey Through Uncharted Amazonian Jungle

Teddy Roosevelt was not afraid to tempt death. He hiked the Matterhorn during his honeymoon. He arrested outlaws on the Dakota Frontier. He hunted rhinos in Africa. But his most dangerous journey came...

20 Okt 20177min

How Teddy Roosevelt Gave a 90-minute Speech After Being Shot

How Teddy Roosevelt Gave a 90-minute Speech After Being Shot

Theodore Roosevelt was hell bent on becoming president in 1912. He ran as a third-party candidate for the Progressive Party, a splinter group of Republicans dissatisfied with William Howard Taft. He w...

19 Okt 20175min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
konspirasjonspodden
popradet
aftenpodden-usa
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
alt-fortalt
min-barneoppdragelse
fladseth
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
198-land-med-einar-trnquist
rss-dannet-uten-piano
krisemoter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem