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August 13, 2007
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His face is on the ten-dollar bill, but most
Americans know more about his death in a duel than his remarkable
life as
one of the most brilliant and influential figures in U.S. history.
Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), the first U.S. Secretary of
the Treasury at age 32, is the focus of a groundbreaking new
traveling exhibition opening at the C.A. Dana-LIFE Library
on the Dana College campus, Aug. 23-Oct. 5.
“
Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America” tells
the story of Hamilton’s astonishing rise in five short
years from an orphaned, 15-year-old West Indies immigrant to
George Washington’s war time aide, and later, at age
32, Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton
was a complex and controversial figure—a Revolutionary
War patriot and soldier, financial and legal genius, and an
ardent opponent of slavery. He was the chief architect of many
of the financial, political and legal institutions so familiar
to Americans today.
Hamilton’s journalistic campaign, through the Federalist
Papers, to convince the American people to ratify the Constitution
equals in importance his creation of the Bank of the United
States and the New York Stock Exchange and his pioneering efforts
in the area of constitutional law. The young Treasury Secretary’s
economic strategies saved the country from staggering Revolutionary
war debts. By the time Hamilton retired in 1795, the United
States was fiscally sound and poised to become a major world
economic and political leader. In the opinion of many historians,
Hamilton made the early republic work and set the agenda for
its future.
“More than any of his peers, Hamilton shaped and prefigured the America
we now live in,” says Richard Brookhiser, historian and Hamilton biographer. “When
you cash a paycheck or vote for President, follow the war against terrorism or
criticize the government, read a newspaper or sit next to someone of a different
race on the subway, you are doing something that he foresaw and helped to make
happen.”
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The exhibition looks at Hamilton’s life and death through the relationships
he forged with important people in politics and government, and through his ideas—ideas
that often clashed with those of other prominent national figures. Hamilton and
George Washington agreed on many issues, but Hamilton argued with Thomas Jefferson
about the character of the young republic. Jefferson favored an agrarian society
of small towns, prosperous farms, and state self-government, while Hamilton argued
that manufacturing and commerce, a strong central government, and cities populated
by people of diverse talents and backgrounds were the future.
"We are delighted to have been selected as a site for this exhibition," said
Dr. Kay Ferguson, professor emeritus of education and coordinator of the exhibit. “Alexander
Hamilton was a fascinating figure in the early history of the United States,
but we know too little about his contributions. Looking again at the debate that
took place when this country was founded should help 21st century Americans better
understand why the government, the courts, our banking system and our economy
are organized the way they are. Hamilton’s pivotal role in providing a
foundation for the complex society we live in today will be a revelation for
many who view this exhibit.”
The exhibit, on display in Dana’s C.A. Dana-LIFE Library, is open for self-guided
tours during regular library hours, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. The library will be closed Saturday
and during Labor Day weekend.
Dana College is one of only 40 sites in the country and the only site in the
region selected to host the exhibit.
The grand opening of the exhibit will be held Saturday, August 25. The exhibit
will be open for guided tours beginning at 10 a.m. A buffet luncheon is planned
at 12 noon for $12 per person.
Afternoon speakers include Hamilton impersonator Don Hickey, Dr. Ray Slavens,
assistant professor of English at Dana College; John Wilson, curator at Joslyn
Art Museum in Omaha; and Dr. Mark Scherer, professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Hickey began performing as Alexander Hamilton in 1987. He spent three summers
touring as Hamilton on the Great Plains Chautauqua circuit. Since then he has
performed in more than a dozen other states, and his work has been featured
on C-SPAN.
He earned a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Illinois and is
professor history at Wayne State College in Nebraska. He has published five
books and more than 50 scholarship and popular articles on the early republic.
Preregister by Friday, August 17, if you plan to join us for lunch on Aug.
25. You may register online at www.dana.edu/hamilton <http://www.dana.edu/hamilton> ,
call Carrie at 402-426-7385, or send payment to Dana College Relations, 2848
College Drive, Blair, NE 68008.
“ Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America” is a national
traveling exhibition organized by the New-York Historical Society, the Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American History, and the American Library Association.
The traveling exhibition has been made possible in part through a major grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to expanding American
understanding of human experience
and cultural heritage.
The traveling exhibition is based on the New-York Historical Society’s
exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of Hamilton’s death as well
as the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Society in 1804.
Local funding is provided by Dana College, Two Rivers Bank and Washington County
Bank.
For more information, visit www.dana.edu/hamilton.
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For more information, contact:
Carrie L. Reed
Director of College Relations & Marketing
402-426-7385
creed@dana.edu
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