Historian examines Hamilton’s namesake

October 20, 2005

One of the nation’s leading authorities on Alexander Hamilton, Stephen Knott, will examine how this founding father helped shape the American dream during the next Michael J. Colligan History Project Lecture.

The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26, beginning at 7:30pm in the Harry T. Wilks Conference Center on the campus of Miami University Hamilton.

Knott, who is the associate professor at the University of Virginia and research fellow in the Miller Center of Public Affairs, will discuss how Hamilton launched the United States on the path to superpower status. Knott explains, "Hamilton, in concert with George Washington, envisioned a consolidated nation capable of surpassing the great powers of Europe in military and economic strength.”

He added, “Hamilton’s vision came to pass in the 20th century, but oddly, until recently, he has not received the credit he is due. Hamilton’s record of achievement was subjected to a campaign of distortion that began when he was alive, and persists to some degree in our time.”

The Michael J. Colligan History Project is a joint undertaking of the Colligan Fund Committee of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Hamilton Campus of Miami University. It is made possible by the generous bequest of Michael J. Colligan, a prominent local businessman and amateur historian.