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The Price of Greatness
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
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Publisher's summary
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 has managed to do the unthinkable. He's written an insightful account of the principles and practices of two great founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, without savaging one or the other. This terrific book is destined to reshape our thinking about the key events of the early republic including the tragic break between Hamilton and Madison.... A must-read for those interested in a deeper understanding of two giants whose principles animate America's conflicted soul." (Stephen F. Knott, author of Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth)
"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, Washington Post 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 The Fractured Republic and editor of National Affairs)
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He is the star of a hit Broadway musical, the face on the 10-dollar bill, and a central figure among the founding fathers. But do you really know Alexander Hamilton? Rather than lionize Hamilton, Americans should carefully consider his most significant and ultimately detrimental contribution to modern society: the shredding of the United States Constitution. Connecting the dots between Hamilton's invention of implied powers in 1791 to transgender bathrooms and same-sex marriage today, Brion McClanahan shows the origins of our modern federal leviathan.
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Thank You Audible
- By No to Statism on 10-03-18
By: Brion McClanahan
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The Battle of Bretton Woods
- John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order
- By: Benn Steil
- Narrated by: Philip Rose
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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When turmoil strikes world monetary and financial markets, leaders invariably call for "a new Bretton Woods" to prevent catastrophic economic disorder and defuse political conflict. The name of the remote New Hampshire town where representatives of 44 nations gathered in July 1944, in the midst of the century's second great war, has become shorthand for enlightened globalization.
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Is this a mystery, a history or an economics book?
- By Neil on 04-23-13
By: Benn Steil
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The Paranoid Style in American Politics
- By: Richard Hofstadter, Sean Wilentz - foreward
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs. In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence - and derail - the larger agendas of a political party.
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Written in the 50s and 60s...
- By Kindle Customer on 11-06-19
By: Richard Hofstadter, and others
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The American Revolution
- A History [Modern Library Chronicles]
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The American Revolution signalled a great change in the course of world history and progress. From this colonial revolt sprouted ideals of liberty and democracy, and all the aspirations and ambitions of a new people. In this work, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood discusses the character and consequences of the revolution, grounding the events and ideas that shaped the American consciousness.
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The foremost scholar on the subject
- By Robert on 08-20-05
By: Gordon S. Wood
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Theodore and Woodrow
- How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedom
- By: Andrew Napolitano
- Narrated by: Scott Moore
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A harsh and revealing political exposé of two beloved presidents. Judge Andrew P. Napolitano reveals how Teddy Roosevelt, a bully, and Woodrow Wilson, a constitutional scholar, each pushed aside the Constitution’s restrictions on the federal government and used it as an instrument to redistribute wealth, regulate personal behavior, and enrich the government. Theodore and Woodrow exposes two of our nation’s most beloved presidents and how they helped speed the Progressive cause on its merry way.
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The Case Against Theodore and Woodrow...
- By Joseph D. Klotz on 03-12-13
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The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically-acclaimed volume - a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize - offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic.
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Strong History Rich With Behind The Scenes Details
- By John on 10-06-11
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The New Road to Serfdom
- A Letter of Warning to America
- By: Daniel Hannan
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In The New Road to Serfdom, British conservative Daniel Hannan argues forcefully and passionately that Americans must not allow Barack Obama to take us down the road to EU-style social democracy. Instead, he pleads with Americans not to abandon the founding principles that made their country a beacon of liberty for the rest of the world.
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An excellent read from a brilliant man...
- By Martin on 10-30-11
By: Daniel Hannan
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The Quartet
- Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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From Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian Joseph J. Ellis, the unexpected story of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew.
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bias is not good history
- By Craig on 01-24-18
By: Joseph J. Ellis
What listeners say about The Price of Greatness
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- William Ehrich
- 06-13-18
Principles in Tension
The principles of nationalism, liberalism and republicanism are each held dearly by Americans. However, these three can often act in conflict with each other. Cost does a superb job of showing how Madison and Hamilton disagreed on how to strike the appropriate balance between these principles, and how we can work toward finding that balance today. This is a fresh new take on the relationship between two highly important founders.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Clifford & Jen
- 07-22-23
Information Work in the Early American Government and 2 of Its Key Figures With Excellent Narration
An informative book on the competing ideas and policies of Hamilton and Madison and how they both shaped and continue to shape the government of the United States of America. It primarily covers the period of their political careers from their participation in continental congress under the Articles of Confederation through to the presidency of Andrew Jackson when the aged Madison took up his pen against Nullification and the the 2nd National Bank encapsulated the combined legacies of both Madison and Hamilton.
It is clearly a well researched book and written by someone who is interested and passionate about his subjects and their ideas. I found the writing style clear and easy to follow, but it is more an informative read than a fun read, so I think a reader’s enjoyment of the work will depend on their level of interest on the subject. Personally, I love reading about this period of American history. I also enjoy thinking about political philosophies and ideas, so much of the book was enjoyable; however, I don’t usually read about economics which meant the chapters that went in depth into Hamilton’s economic policies were a slog for me. My mixed emotional enjoyment almost led me to give it fewer stars, but since the goal of the book is to inform on certain aspects of American and I think it accomplishes that goal well, 4 stars it is. Indeed I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the political legacies of Hamilton and/or Madison, the early formation of the USA’s government, or political & economic history & ideas in general.
Also the audiobook narrator is excellent. He definitely helped the book be more engaging and his voice added a sense of intelligent authority to the material.
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- TFMethane
- 04-03-19
concise explanation of how America's core formed
The performance was very good. This book explains the few main competing concepts from the early republic that formed the ongoing balancing act that defines America's political soul still today.
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- HSB3
- 02-26-19
A Better Understanding
The book was able to explain the relationship of Madison and Hamilton as two founders weith different visions of the Republic.
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- W. R. Harrell
- 03-06-19
Detailed history of a formative time
The narrator is good, but not very emotive. The research is great and very detailed without being boring. Hamilton and Madison both come off a incredibly human and yet so much more principled than so many politicians of today.
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- Philo
- 01-25-20
Calm, clear, on deep issues we face now
This is a great opportunity to pull back from the noise of the present and review some big, deep issues. I think Madison deserves popular attention at least as much as Hamilton got lately (through a distorted pop lens). Madison is the conscience, the balancing and fair-play voice vital to the survival (or not) of our republic today (and I am not discounting Hamilton's perspective either). Each gets his hearing here. This work towers above the sniping, partisan, one-dimensional, factional trash often seen on the bookshelves.
I especially like, alongside the focus on big ideas, the story starting mid-book of the financial particulars of getting the USA on its feet in the early days, with plenty of reference to those big ideas working (or not) along the way. Hamilton at one stage comes off as an elitist hanging out with some dodgy folks with serious conflicts of interest (as highlighted by Madison in their split). But then, the tides of history move a bit, and even Republican icon Madison, as President, winds up realizing by tough lessons some of the virtues of what Hamilton (by then dead) had been setting in motion.
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