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The Price of Greatness: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the Creation of American Oligarchy Audiobook
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An incisive account of the tumultuous relationship between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison and of the origins of our wealthy yet highly unequal nation
In the history of American politics there are few stories as enigmatic as that of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison's bitterly personal falling out. Together they helped bring the Constitution into being, yet soon after the new republic was born they broke over the meaning of its founding document. Hamilton emphasized economic growth, Madison the importance of republican principles.
Jay Cost is the first to argue that both men were right -- and that their quarrel reveals a fundamental paradox at the heart of the American experiment. He shows that each man in his own way came to accept corruption as a necessary cost of growth. The Price of Greatness reveals the trade-off that made the United States the richest nation in human history, and that continues to fracture our politics to this day.
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"Jay Cost hasmanaged to do the unthinkable. He's written an insightful account of theprinciples and practices of two great founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton andJames Madison, without savaging one or the other. This terrific book isdestined to reshape our thinking about the key events of the early republicincluding the tragic break between Hamilton and Madison.... A must-read for thoseinterested in a deeper understanding of two giants whose principles animateAmerica's conflicted soul."
— Stephen F. Knott, author of Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth
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Remarkable and insightful... a fascinating look at the interaction of money and politics in the early years of our Republic, showing that, like much of human nature, issues of greed and corruption are not sudden creations of the modern era.
— New York Journal of Books -
[A] compelling account.... Cost has written an engrossing and useful book in The Price of Greatness, for it both provides an accessible (short) history of this country's beginnings and illustrates dynamics fundamental to the American model.
— Washington Free Beacon -
Cost's descriptions of post independence political wrangling and the first decades of the new United States are clear and easily grasped.
— Publishers Weekly -
Focusing on James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.... Cost offers a revealing look at how their contrastingg political philosophies shaped the new nation's domestic and foreign policies.... A well-argued examination of the nation's founding principles.
— Kirkus Reviews -
In his lively new book, Jay Cost continues his fascinating inquiry into the sources of American political corruption by examining Alexander Hamilton's and James Madison's divergent understandings of the Constitution and the proper balancing of liberty, republicanism, and national unity and prosperity.
— Bradford Wilson, Executive Director, James Madison Program, Princeton University -
Thoughtful people differ concerning why so many of today's most talented writers on American history practice their craft outside academia. Thoughtful people agree, and this book demonstrates, that Jay Cost is among those writers.
— George F. Will, WashingtonPost columnist -
Jay Cost brings alive the profound dispute between Madison's republicanism and Hamilton's nationalism and helps us see why it still matters. At once a discerning scholar of political theory and a perceptive student of political practice, he is the perfect guide to this rich story.
— Yuval Levin, author of TheFractured Republic and editor of NationalAffairs
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About Jay Cost
Jay Cost is the author of several nonfiction books, including A Republic No More, Spoiled Rotten, What’s So Bad about Cronyism?, and The Price of Greatness. He is a senior writer at the Weekly Standard and has written for the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Commentary. He received a BA in government and history from the University of Virginia and a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago. He has been a top political analyst for over a decade.
About Dan Woren
Dan Woren is an American voice actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has worked extensively in animation, video games, and feature films. He is best known for his many roles in anime productions such as Bleach and as the voice of Sub-Zero in the video game Mortal Kombat.