Alexander Hamilton: Jewish Founder? with Andrew Porwancher

Andrew Porwancher is a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma who teaches courses in Constitutional Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in history from Cambridge. We discuss his book The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton, which won the Journal of the American Revolution Book-of-the-Year Award. Andrew has held research fellowships at a number of universities, including Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford. In 2017, Porwancher won the Longmire Prize for innovation in teaching. We discuss the groundbreaking argument he advances that Alexander Hamilton was probably born Jewish. Why does he believe this and how strong is the evidence? Equally important, what light might this shed on Hamilton’s perspectives toward Jews during an era of pervasive antisemitism, his stance on religious liberty, and his relationships with prominent Jews of his time.

 

Books recommended by Andrew:

Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law by Kate Elizabeth Brown

Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth by Stephen F. Knott