A Master Passion by Juliet Waldron
THE MASTER PASSION is the story of the marriage of our brilliant first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler. It begins with their whirlwind Revolutionary War courtship at Washington’s winter quarters.
After the war, Hamilton engages in nation building. Like all mission-driven men, he is preoccupied, often absent, and not the best provider.
Conflict is built into the marriage. It does not simply spring from Alexander’s childhood experience of bastardy, abuse, and abandonment. To quote Alexander Pope, Hamilton’s favorite poet:
And hence one Master Passion in the breast
Like Aaron’s serpent, swallows up all the rest…”
Betsy’s passion is for Alexander. Alexander loves his wife, but sometimes he loves America more.
