Presents a biography of Alexander Hamilton, one of the most important figures in the history of American politics never elected to the presidency, discussing his childhood as an orphan in the Caribbean, his marriage and family, and his death in a duel, and examining his multifaceted role in the formation of U.S. government.

Printer and publisher, author and educator, scientist and inventor, statesman and philanthropist, Benjamin Franklin was the very embodiment of the American self-made man. In 1771, at the age of 65, he sat down to write his autobiography, having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity....

A brief biography of the eighteenth-century printer, inventor, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States.

Introduces the life of inventor, statesman, and founding father Benjamin Franklin, whose love of books led him to establish the first public library in the American colonies.

Great political leaders who have shaped the world from antiquity to modern times are presented through engaging, accessible text. Readers will learn about great statesmen, military commanders, national liberators, reformers, and revolutionaries, including Alexander the Great and Nelson Mandela. Profiles of the leaders trace their life histories, careers, achievements, and most momentous decisions.

An introduction to the life and accomplishments of the champion of an independent India and global icon of peace and freedom.

Chronicles the founding father's life and his multiple careers as a shopkeeper, writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, business strategist, and political leader, while showing how his faith in the wisdom of the common citizen helped forge an American national identity based on the virtues of its middle class.

"The America that Alexander Hamilton knew was largely agricultural and built on slave labor. In contrast, he envisioned something different: along with agriculture and small towns, he imagined a multiracial, urbanized, capitalistic America with a strong central government. A poor immigrant, Hamilton believed that such an America would be a land of opportunity for newcomers. His vision put him at odds with Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and others;...

The America that Alexander Hamilton knew was largely agricultural and built on slave labor. He envisioned something else: a multi-racial, urbanized, capitalistic America with a strong central government. He believed that such an America would be a land of opportunity for the poor and the newcomers. But Hamilton's vision put him at odds with his archrivals who envisioned a pastoral America of small towns, where governments were local, states would...