What I Learned About the Writing of History After Reading Every Book About Alexander Hamilton

Well, the title of this post is a bit of an exaggeration. I decided to read every book about Alexander Hamilton in my university’s library before I finished my degree which allowed me to get some interesting insights into the writing of history. This post is not going to be about information I learned about Alexander Hamilton, rather it will be about the writing of history.

Sometimes History Is More About the Present than the Past

The various books I read about Alexander Hamilton spanned from the late 1800s to the present day. One thing I found over and over again was that the historical narrative in each book often times corresponded to the period in which it was written. The Alexander Hamilton of the 1920s was different than the Alexander Hamilton of the Great Depression. The Alexander Hamilton of the Cold War was different than the Alexander Hamilton of the 1990s. Even if it was only subtly, there was a noticeable difference in the books of different time periods.

Many of the books clearly were telling not just Alexander Hamilton’s story, but also the story of the author’s time. They were commenting both on the past, and also on the present. Sometimes this was intentional, such as the book If Hamilton Were Here Today; American Fundamentals Applied to Modern Problems by Arthur Vandenburg in 1923.

This was interesting for me to see, and in a way it helped me to understand the periods the books were written in better.

Sources Can Get Funky Over Time

If historical narratives are not constantly going back to primary sources for their bases, the sources within them can get a little funky over time. I noticed multiple instances where a book would claim something as true, or tell a story, without a citation and this story would later on be repeated on other books. In some cases the story would grow and change further, beyond what was initially incorrectly written.

These “funky sources” would even be used to prove points and provide evidence for narratives. Sometimes when you look back a source… or five, you will find that there never was an original source to begin with. Yet the narrative persisted.

You should at the very least check the original author’s citation if you are going to use a source, but you really should just use a primary source to prevent this issue.

It Is About the Research, Not the Date

Some people assume that older history books are better simply because they were written closer to the events, or because they falsely believe that history in the past was less politicized. On the other hand, some people assume that history books that are newer are better because they believe they are more up to date.

The truth is, it is about the research, not the date. I have read bad books written in the past decade, and great books written a hundred years ago. On the other hand, I also read good books published recently, and horrible books published long ago. It all depends on the research, not the date!

Remember the Influence of Region in American History Books

Some of the books I read about Hamilton were written in the years following the Civil War, and it was very obvious that they were. These books were very regionally (north/south) tied. While we do not think about it as much now since we are not as attached to the regions we grew up in, it was something important to the past. It is definitely a bias to look out for on both sides if you are reading books from that period.

And For Fun… History Books Used to Have Much Prettier Designs

The books I checked out from the late 1800s through the mid-twentieth century were often very pretty. They had pretty covers and lettering. They had pretty front pieces, and decorative design.

Modern history books are often somewhat undistinguishable from one another and could use some extra attention to detail. They are often mass produced and simply designed.

I think the history publishing world is due for a redesign!

In Conclusion…

I had a good time reading all the books about Alexander Hamilton that my university had, and I had fun getting to know the librarians who helped me track all the books down. I learned a lot about Alexander Hamilton, as well as a lot about the writing of history. Reading about the same topic over and over again can really help you to understand how narratives are constructed which is extremely helpful to understand as a historian. Plus, it was a fun little “side-quest” that I took on while completing my degree!