THE POSSIBILITY

1796 – 1804 THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP IS BORN EARLY

Hamilton had proposed the president and elected representatives should hold office for life unless found to act improperly or illegally. This prompted criticism that he wanted a kind of monarchy and that his affiliations were too close to Britain. He certainly saw Britain as a major trading partner, and as president he may have furthered this relationship. This would’ve avoided support for Britain’s adversaries, especially the French, and averted any direct conflict that led to the War of 1812.

1796 TO ?? RUN, RUN, RUN

With no official restrictions at this time to the number of terms a president could serve, and given his political passion and self-belief, had Hamilton become president he would have stayed in office for as long as possible. He would‘ve wanted to have seen his ideas and policies be truly embedded into the US political systems and way of life. Such stability could well have seen the US develop into the same world political and military superpower, but perhaps much sooner. And for a man who relished standing up for his views and taking on his opponents, a long stay in office would have made presidency even more alluring.

1865 ONE FLAG, ONE NATION

As a Federalist, Hamilton was a staunch believer in a stronger, single, federal government at the expense of the power of the individual states. He was also very vocal and politically active in his views against slavery. Recent study has questioned this view, but if Hamilton as president had had his way then a move to a strong industrial economy, including in the Southern states, could have meant more direct pressure by central government to end slavery long before its abolition in 1865. Such economic cohesion could also have played a major role in avoiding the schism between the North and South that led to the US Civil War.