Faces in our Mirrors

In early 1797, a prescient but misdirected Alexander Hamilton, speaking of the rise of Napoleon in France, warned that the “specious pretense of enlightening mankind and reforming their civil institutions is the varnish to the real design of subjugating” other nations.[1]  In light of the fact that he, personally, was the man most responsible for laying the foundations for the evolution of the United States’ empire, I wonder how surprised he would be to find that the enemy in his mirror turned out to be us.

Almost everything he warned against with respect to other states turned out to be true, … about us.

An interesting fellow.

Who knows what he would have become but for his temper and poor personal judgment with respect to reaction to personal affronts.

I wonder if we, as a state, would have turned out any differently.

_______

© Guillermo Calvo Mahé; Manizales, 2017; all rights reserved

[1] Chernow, Ron (2004).  Alexander Hamilton.  Penguin Books, New York, at 546.