Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Without George Washington the United States would still be a part of Great Britain. But without Alexander Hamilton the United States would simply be another Europe: a geographically contiguous group of independent nations. That was the direction of post-revolutionary America.

Like ancient Greece under attack from Persia, she temporarily united to defeat the foreign adversary, then separated into so many city-states. It's difficult to overstate Hamilton's impact on the USA and the world today. 

I see a lot of similarities with Robert Moses: the man of powers behind the scenes, never mayor or president. Built a system of tolls/tax revenues that took on life in and of themselves. Propelled the city and country forward with unprecedented infrastructure that bound them together. Never got rich themselves; were more motivated by fulfilling their vision and accumulating power. 

It's shocking how much younger Hamilton was than Washington. He was perhaps Washington's most trusted adviser even after stepping down from office, yet he was about 25 years his junior. Hamilton was only some 20 years old when the Revolution began. 

Hamilton's rise to power was inspiring to the extreme. But once he reached the peak of his power and lost the "governor" of President Washington to reign him in when necessary, he began his fall from grace. He ran Adams' cabinet with puppet strings and toyed with extra-Constitutional measures to maintain his power in the 1800 elections.  

He must have suffered from a lack of self confidence; he derived his pride from how others perceived him. Ultimately this need to protect his honor resulted in close dalliances with duels, and ultimately the one that killed him.