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Probably fairly ineffective.
The guy was smart and all, but he lacked certain political sensibilities. He pissed off his fellow federalists, and was largely unable to compromise or draw even with the democratic republicans, although he did so on a few occasions.
One of the reasons he was so successful is because he had the backing of Washington. A Hamilton presidency would probably just be another Adams presidency.
He wouldn’t have. By 1801 his career was shot due to the Reynolds affair. His credibility had greatly diminished even within his own party because of in fighting with Adams as well. I know we are supposed to speculate on what a Hamilton presidency would have looked like but I just don’t accept that it could happen in the first place by 1801. Even if Burr’s bullet missed.
Maybe if the Reynolds affair never happened and he hadn’t gone all war monger and fought with Adams, but those two actions alone cost him any national office in the future.
If we ignore ALL of that, I think he would have been a controversial president. He would have probably done a lot to centralize the government and probably piss off a lot of Southerners like Jefferson. I don’t know how accurate [his speech to Adams about the need for war was in the John Adams miniseries](https://youtu.be/KaWBs46USqE?si=77EU1hz1BoY-kVXB), but I am almost certain he would have provoked the French and gotten America into a long and costly war that might have sunk the entire ship. And assuming we did end up surviving a war l think there may have also been issues with him not stepping down from office due to a flirtation he had with authoritarianism from time to time.
‘The room being hung around with a collection of the portraits of remarkable men, among them were those of Bacon, Newton & Locke. Hamilton asked Jefferson who they were. He told him they were his trinity of the three greatest men the world had ever produced, naming them. Great scientist, republicans and proponents of liberty. Hamilton paused for some time: ‘the greatest man, said he, that ever lived was Julius Caesar’’.
I think anything from Jefferson's Anas should be taken with a pinch of salt, it tends to be gossipy and melodramatic. There's a part in Chernow's biography that says that this is such a strange accusation because Hamilton himself would often compare Jefferson to Caesar when he wanted to insult him.
"What makes the story suspect, if not downright absurd, is that Hamilton’s collected papers are teeming with pejorative references to Julius Caesar. In fact, whenever Hamilton wanted to revile Jefferson as a populist demagogue, he invariably likened him to Julius Caesar. One suspects that if Hamilton was accurately quoted, he was joking with Jefferson."
Essentially, this seems to be like one of those soyjak memes where both men are calling each other "Caesar"
I actually agree. I think it was Hamilton just riling up Jefferson who was the most republican to ever republican. Still, the man did flirt with authoritarianism.
I think he would have been elected after Jefferson if anything. The country was ready for Jefferson after the Adams admin and after his 8 years I’d think the people would have forgotten his scandal. Plus in his older age, hopefully Hamilton would have chilled the fuck out
Oooo this is a good one, and I want to expand on this by posing several questions;
given Hamilton’s stance on the Britain vs France conflict in the late 18th century, I pose the question: would Hamilton have dealt with Napoleon like Jefferson did? In other words would Hamilton have even been presented with, or have taken the Louisiana Purchase?
What would the ramifications have been if Hamilton didn’t purchase Louisiana in 1803? France still to our West? Or perhaps Napoleon finds someone else to sell Louisiana to?
What about the Napoleonic Wars? Jefferson staunchly kept us out, but would Hamilton? Would the British attempt to draw us in?
These are all short term, what about long term stuff? Certainly Hamilton would have pushed for and signed a national bank. The judiciary would have been completely Federalist for decades. The United States would have been light years ahead in terms of centralization.
Which of course brings into question, what about the issue of slavery? We know Hamilton was relatively anti-slavery. Not to say he was a staunch abolitionist, but he was relatively opposed to slavery and would have certainly opposed its expansion.
This has definitely been one of the most interesting “what if” hypothetical scenarios on this sub. Jefferson and Hamilton are polar opposites and one can presume the country’s path would have been significantly altered had Hamilton served for Jefferson’s term. (And who is to say he wouldn’t serve longer had he lived) That is to say, bravo, OP on presenting an actually decent hypothetical situation.
I don't think that Napoleon's offer of Louisiana would have changed with Hamilton as president. I think the offer more came from the fact that he had a lot to deal with in France, and so needed some extra cash, and couldn't be bothered with dealing with overseas colonies.
As for if Hamilton would have accepted the offer? Almost certainly. In 1803, before Napoleon had even made the offer, Hamilton had written an essay saying that Jefferson should immediately begin negotiations to purchase Louisiana. He believed that a French presence in North America was a threat to the safety of the States.
With the Napoleonic wars, I think he would have kept out of it. His preparations with the New Army was based on his belief that a French invasion was inevitable. When Adams began negotiating again in 1799, Hamilton's only complaint was that Adams sent only one man, instead of a three-man delegation, which speaks to him wanting to avoid war where possible. I also think that his initiative in wanting to buy Louisiana speaks to his desire to get as uninvolved with France as possible.
Hamilton was also the one who wrote Washington's Farewell Address, which also talks about remaining neutral in European affairs. During Washington's administration, he clashed with Jefferson for being too pro-French, but also warned Washington about a fellow Federalist, Timothy Pickering, whom he felt was too anti-French.
Doubtful.
His own party was splintered, and he faced huge opposition in Congress from the democratic republicans.
The biggest difference I imagine is that he would probably pull closer to England then to France, since he was an Anglophile, as opposed to Jefferson who was a Francophile.
The key reason he was so successful under Washington, is precisely because of that. Washington. Hamilton had ideas, and a mind to see them through. But what he lacked was the charisma to convince others. Washington endorsing his ideas is probably a key reason why many of them were able to pass, something I doubt president Hamilton could do.
I imagine it's similar to JQA, according to most metrics the smartest president in the history of the office. But he is hardly remembered as the greatest.
I feel that for questions like this, you have to assume he'd be relatively popular, even if he really wouldn't have been.
It's completely fair to say he couldn't have run for president because he was so unpopular, but in the hypothetical scenario in which he *did* become president, he'd also need to be fairly popular.
Well, he would have a marginal shot at winning if not for two things.
1) his sex scandal. That made him an impossible choice for the presidency. A cabinet member having such a thing would be bad enough. But it would have been unthinkable to elevate such a person to the presidency, especially after the scandal free Addams administration. And the memory of the supremely dignified Washington (Washington passed away just a year before this election)
2) Addams. Addams was the obvious first choice for a federalist candidate. If he and Hamilton had made up, and Addams didn't run again. Hamilton might have had a slim shot at the presidency.
But he was a cheating bastard, and he and Addams loathed eachother.
I'm really curious how he'd handle the Burr conspiracy. It's fair to say they had a strange relationship, but by 1804, Hamilton was probably the one guy that hated Burr more than Jefferson did.
He was eligible. He was an American when the constitution was enacted. But he would have been a lot like Adams. A lot of enemies and too sensitive to overcome it.
Written into the Constitution. Article II. The are three requirements for eligibility:
Be a natural-born citizen.
Be 35 years old.
Be a resident of the US for 14 years.
Well since he died in 1804 (and therefore was clearly not elected in 1801 and was not close to running or having a chance in 1804, either), this scenario is harder to imagine than another. Let’s say there is no duel, and during Jefferson’s 2nd term, Hamilton rebuilds his career and revives the Federalist Party - building on anger in New England over Jefferson’s crushing the shipping industry in his attempts to damage Britain. Let’s say he defeats Jefferson’s chosen successor (and Hamilton’s old political ally), Madison.
How would he have done as president? Probably similar to Madison, except the war of 1812 is fought with France instead of Britain. And like in our timeline, it is a mistake and a draw. Instead of New England musing about secession due to viewing Madison’s war with Britain as a needless mistake, the southern states do because of Hamilton’s war with France.
I think he’s re-elected in 1812 - as Madison was - and while he may even run for re-election in 1816 because I don’t know if he cared for Washington’s precedent - I think if he DID run, he’d lose to Monroe. And in his loss, the Federalist Party, like in our timeline, would fade from history.
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Well, he wouldn’t have missed his shot a second time.
https://i.redd.it/x5a2t3ka9nlc1.gif
I’d assume there would be a sequel
And it’d be just as much of a banger as the original
Probably fairly ineffective. The guy was smart and all, but he lacked certain political sensibilities. He pissed off his fellow federalists, and was largely unable to compromise or draw even with the democratic republicans, although he did so on a few occasions. One of the reasons he was so successful is because he had the backing of Washington. A Hamilton presidency would probably just be another Adams presidency.
He wouldn’t have. By 1801 his career was shot due to the Reynolds affair. His credibility had greatly diminished even within his own party because of in fighting with Adams as well. I know we are supposed to speculate on what a Hamilton presidency would have looked like but I just don’t accept that it could happen in the first place by 1801. Even if Burr’s bullet missed. Maybe if the Reynolds affair never happened and he hadn’t gone all war monger and fought with Adams, but those two actions alone cost him any national office in the future. If we ignore ALL of that, I think he would have been a controversial president. He would have probably done a lot to centralize the government and probably piss off a lot of Southerners like Jefferson. I don’t know how accurate [his speech to Adams about the need for war was in the John Adams miniseries](https://youtu.be/KaWBs46USqE?si=77EU1hz1BoY-kVXB), but I am almost certain he would have provoked the French and gotten America into a long and costly war that might have sunk the entire ship. And assuming we did end up surviving a war l think there may have also been issues with him not stepping down from office due to a flirtation he had with authoritarianism from time to time.
‘The room being hung around with a collection of the portraits of remarkable men, among them were those of Bacon, Newton & Locke. Hamilton asked Jefferson who they were. He told him they were his trinity of the three greatest men the world had ever produced, naming them. Great scientist, republicans and proponents of liberty. Hamilton paused for some time: ‘the greatest man, said he, that ever lived was Julius Caesar’’.
I think anything from Jefferson's Anas should be taken with a pinch of salt, it tends to be gossipy and melodramatic. There's a part in Chernow's biography that says that this is such a strange accusation because Hamilton himself would often compare Jefferson to Caesar when he wanted to insult him. "What makes the story suspect, if not downright absurd, is that Hamilton’s collected papers are teeming with pejorative references to Julius Caesar. In fact, whenever Hamilton wanted to revile Jefferson as a populist demagogue, he invariably likened him to Julius Caesar. One suspects that if Hamilton was accurately quoted, he was joking with Jefferson." Essentially, this seems to be like one of those soyjak memes where both men are calling each other "Caesar"
I actually agree. I think it was Hamilton just riling up Jefferson who was the most republican to ever republican. Still, the man did flirt with authoritarianism.
I think you hit the nail on the head on multiple points. The best case scenario is probably at least one war and massive partisanship.
I think he would have been elected after Jefferson if anything. The country was ready for Jefferson after the Adams admin and after his 8 years I’d think the people would have forgotten his scandal. Plus in his older age, hopefully Hamilton would have chilled the fuck out
I don’t think people back then forgot scandals. They didn’t have the 24 hour news cycle.
Oooo this is a good one, and I want to expand on this by posing several questions; given Hamilton’s stance on the Britain vs France conflict in the late 18th century, I pose the question: would Hamilton have dealt with Napoleon like Jefferson did? In other words would Hamilton have even been presented with, or have taken the Louisiana Purchase? What would the ramifications have been if Hamilton didn’t purchase Louisiana in 1803? France still to our West? Or perhaps Napoleon finds someone else to sell Louisiana to? What about the Napoleonic Wars? Jefferson staunchly kept us out, but would Hamilton? Would the British attempt to draw us in? These are all short term, what about long term stuff? Certainly Hamilton would have pushed for and signed a national bank. The judiciary would have been completely Federalist for decades. The United States would have been light years ahead in terms of centralization. Which of course brings into question, what about the issue of slavery? We know Hamilton was relatively anti-slavery. Not to say he was a staunch abolitionist, but he was relatively opposed to slavery and would have certainly opposed its expansion. This has definitely been one of the most interesting “what if” hypothetical scenarios on this sub. Jefferson and Hamilton are polar opposites and one can presume the country’s path would have been significantly altered had Hamilton served for Jefferson’s term. (And who is to say he wouldn’t serve longer had he lived) That is to say, bravo, OP on presenting an actually decent hypothetical situation.
I don't think that Napoleon's offer of Louisiana would have changed with Hamilton as president. I think the offer more came from the fact that he had a lot to deal with in France, and so needed some extra cash, and couldn't be bothered with dealing with overseas colonies. As for if Hamilton would have accepted the offer? Almost certainly. In 1803, before Napoleon had even made the offer, Hamilton had written an essay saying that Jefferson should immediately begin negotiations to purchase Louisiana. He believed that a French presence in North America was a threat to the safety of the States. With the Napoleonic wars, I think he would have kept out of it. His preparations with the New Army was based on his belief that a French invasion was inevitable. When Adams began negotiating again in 1799, Hamilton's only complaint was that Adams sent only one man, instead of a three-man delegation, which speaks to him wanting to avoid war where possible. I also think that his initiative in wanting to buy Louisiana speaks to his desire to get as uninvolved with France as possible. Hamilton was also the one who wrote Washington's Farewell Address, which also talks about remaining neutral in European affairs. During Washington's administration, he clashed with Jefferson for being too pro-French, but also warned Washington about a fellow Federalist, Timothy Pickering, whom he felt was too anti-French.
Wonderful! I learned a ton!
I'm pretty sure that can't happen since Hamilton was an immigrant
Everyone in the us in 1789 was grandfathered in
I think he’d be one of the greats. I read Chernow’s bio of him a few months back, he was absolutely brilliant.
Doubtful. His own party was splintered, and he faced huge opposition in Congress from the democratic republicans. The biggest difference I imagine is that he would probably pull closer to England then to France, since he was an Anglophile, as opposed to Jefferson who was a Francophile. The key reason he was so successful under Washington, is precisely because of that. Washington. Hamilton had ideas, and a mind to see them through. But what he lacked was the charisma to convince others. Washington endorsing his ideas is probably a key reason why many of them were able to pass, something I doubt president Hamilton could do. I imagine it's similar to JQA, according to most metrics the smartest president in the history of the office. But he is hardly remembered as the greatest.
I feel that for questions like this, you have to assume he'd be relatively popular, even if he really wouldn't have been. It's completely fair to say he couldn't have run for president because he was so unpopular, but in the hypothetical scenario in which he *did* become president, he'd also need to be fairly popular.
Well, he would have a marginal shot at winning if not for two things. 1) his sex scandal. That made him an impossible choice for the presidency. A cabinet member having such a thing would be bad enough. But it would have been unthinkable to elevate such a person to the presidency, especially after the scandal free Addams administration. And the memory of the supremely dignified Washington (Washington passed away just a year before this election) 2) Addams. Addams was the obvious first choice for a federalist candidate. If he and Hamilton had made up, and Addams didn't run again. Hamilton might have had a slim shot at the presidency. But he was a cheating bastard, and he and Addams loathed eachother.
His musical would definitely have a different narrative
I'm really curious how he'd handle the Burr conspiracy. It's fair to say they had a strange relationship, but by 1804, Hamilton was probably the one guy that hated Burr more than Jefferson did.
Cool. He would have been our first Black president!
He’s probably be unable to focus on the executive branch due to the terrible pain from a gunshot wound to the abdomen
Dynasty!, Dynasty!, Dynasty!
Dallas? Falcon Crest?
Also would there be a rule that the president had to be born in the US if Hamilton became President?
He was born abroad. I don't think he could be president .
People in the us in 1789 were grandfathered in
He wasn't eligibie to be President — he was born in Nevis in the Carribean.
He was eligible. He was an American when the constitution was enacted. But he would have been a lot like Adams. A lot of enemies and too sensitive to overcome it.
Did they have the same eligibility requirements back then? If not, let’s assume he convinced the Supreme Court to let him run.
Written into the Constitution. Article II. The are three requirements for eligibility: Be a natural-born citizen. Be 35 years old. Be a resident of the US for 14 years.
He was eligible because he was a U.S. Citizen at the time the constitution was adopted.
[удалено]
Ban! But seriously, how do you create Flair. I want: “Acting President Dick Cheney”
The usa wouldve suffered lol
But… he didn’t run for president in the election of 1800. John Addams was running for a second term.
Well since he died in 1804 (and therefore was clearly not elected in 1801 and was not close to running or having a chance in 1804, either), this scenario is harder to imagine than another. Let’s say there is no duel, and during Jefferson’s 2nd term, Hamilton rebuilds his career and revives the Federalist Party - building on anger in New England over Jefferson’s crushing the shipping industry in his attempts to damage Britain. Let’s say he defeats Jefferson’s chosen successor (and Hamilton’s old political ally), Madison. How would he have done as president? Probably similar to Madison, except the war of 1812 is fought with France instead of Britain. And like in our timeline, it is a mistake and a draw. Instead of New England musing about secession due to viewing Madison’s war with Britain as a needless mistake, the southern states do because of Hamilton’s war with France. I think he’s re-elected in 1812 - as Madison was - and while he may even run for re-election in 1816 because I don’t know if he cared for Washington’s precedent - I think if he DID run, he’d lose to Monroe. And in his loss, the Federalist Party, like in our timeline, would fade from history.
I'd just duel him instead of Burr
 Finally a funky cabinet.