The first book to explore the complex friendship between George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, this captivating history reveals how their little-known but remarkable collaboration led to the emergence of the U.S. as a world power. Washington, who was devoted to classical virtues, and Hamilton, who was guided by the pursuit of honor, closely cooperated in America's early days-but their rival ideas also threatened the future of the new republic. From the start of the Revolution through the first decade of the American presidency, this groundbreaking book chronicles how their fascinating relationship impacted the American people and resulted in the birth of politics as we know it today.