Worshiping Jefferson for Hamilton's America?
To my greatest knowledge, I believe that the quote “We [contemporary America] worship Jefferson, but we have become Hamilton’s America” is true. From the Wall Street Journal, Cynthia Crossen depicts how Hamilton may have put us in debt, but in reality we can pay that off. As Ron Chernow says from the interview in the New York Journal of American History, Hamilton was an ideal figure. He drew Chernow back to the founding of Wall Street, and to the foundation of fiscal and monetary policy in the United States. Chernow also believes that Hamilton is the "founder left standing" and that he is the most underrated and misunderstood of the founding fathers. While Hamilton served as the Secretary of Treasury and pushed for a stronger Federal Government, he also set the foundation for the financial system in this country. His life ended short and he could not become all that he could because of the shot fired by Aaron Burr. Chernow also says that Hamilton imagined the United States as it is today, with ideas that were frightening years before, but not so much anymore.
While part of the quote says that it is Hamilton's America, the quote also says that we, contemporary America, worship Jefferson. Not only do we worship Jefferson by having many memorials for him such as Monticello, two dollar bills, the Jefferson memorial in Washington D.C., etc., but he also spent many of his later years trying to define and defend his legacy. He "staunchly defended his role as the author of the Declaration of Independence". Hamilton had no time to write an autobiography and define his life because it was cut short by Jefferson's vice president, Aaron Burr, unlike Jefferson did. Overall, I believe that the quote "We [contemporary America] worship Jefferson, but we have become Hamilton's America". We live in the world where Hamilton's ideas thrive, yet we give our honor to Jefferson.