Alexander Hamilton and Capitalism: Dinesh D'Souza on PragerU's Making America

Alexander Hamilton, the first treasurer of the United States, knew there was a better way for countries to become prosperous than by conquering others. What was his plan, and did it work? Dinesh D’Souza offers an assessment.

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Dinesh D'Souza is an author and filmmaker. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he was a senior domestic policy analyst in the Reagan administration. He also served as a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

He is the author of many bestselling books, including "Illiberal Education," "What's So Great About Christianity," "America: Imagine a World Without Her," "The Roots of Obama's Rage," "Death of a Nation," and "United States of Socialism."

His documentary films "2016: Obama's America," "America," "Hillary's America," "Death of a Nation," and "Trump Card" are among the highest-grossing political documentaries of all time. He and his wife Debbie are also executive producers of the acclaimed feature film "Infidel."

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Want to connect with Dinesh D'Souza online for more hard-hitting analysis of current events in America? Here’s how:

[markfoss]

I really like this series on our founding fathers

[toddavis]

Excellent teaching on Alexander Hamilton☆☆☆

[richardrodriguez]

Love this Presidential background history, never taught in public schools

[CaesarInVa]

While I admire Hamilton as a visionary, its his vision (i.e., the Central Bank, deficit spending and printing mass amounts of money) that have gotten us into the economic and financial mess we are in today. Today's economy is predicated largely on massive government spending through the issuance of debt instruments (bonds), which Hamilton saw as a way of funding America's growth and development. To be fair, I'm sure Hamilton would be utterly aghast at how the US government has become a junkie to debt issuance, but it was his vision that set the snowball rolling down the hill.

[plainsimple]

You have been warned. Freedom is not free, but slavery exacts a far greater price. If the need arises, do not hesitate to take up arms in defense of freedom, even against your own

[jscottupton]

OK...you changed my mind about Hamilton. I used to believe he was a TOTAL and COMPLETE JERK. I STILL think he was an awful JERK but now I will concede that he made some positive contributions.

[grannygarden]

That was a great video Dinesh! Thank you1

[gavasiarobinssson]

Disney has extended the copyright into perpetuity. Without paying a dime to the Grimms family. All very legal of course. For some reason law makers have the same opinions as

[madness]

America was greater than any republic, including Rome. We have immigration and weak leader problems, as did the great Roman republic, before it fell. Doomed to repeat.

[patricialear]

Wasn't Hampton the one who fought for the central bank?

[drmobiusmedical]

Jefferson, Washington, Franklin and others all made major contributions to America’s creation from whole cloth, but Hamilton built the unstoppable engine of Capitalism which has lifted so many around the world out of abject poverty. Nearly everyone in America today is in the top 1% globally. If only our current generation of young people would wake up and realize that creativity and Hardwork, regardless of education or background, is the key to success and happiness. There really is no point to stand on the curb holding a sign claiming “I’m against poverty.“ If you’re against poverty, thank Hamilton. Shut up, stop complaining, and get to work.

[richardrodriguez]

YT preventing me from replying to commenters below.

[jscottfischer]

I can't believe you're defending hamilton. I'm sure he had some good ideas but I kind of blame him for the way things are today

[coajrmusic]

Hamilton was also an advocate for a Central Bank. This is why he is celebrated by the powers-that-be, and conversely, why Jackson is reviled. They want his face off of the $20. bill.

[danweaver]

This concept of wealth is crucial for understanding Capitalism. It makes the bold claim: Everyone can become as wealthy as they desire without stealing so much as a single penny from anyone else! If you don't understand this foundational Capitalist idea, you should never post about how great Socialism is for society.

[mikegriffin]

Communist tube will not allow a a thumbs up on this video

[matsfreedom]

I'm gonna get me some a doe's Obama marbles!

[Origen]

The fact that Broadway made a musical praising this historical figure should tell you something. He wasn't a good guy.

[tomwinchester]

Still....the rich are getting richer and the middle class is and more people are in the lowerclass....the rich has responsibility to help make this society great....are they doing this?

[funtrain]

I think this is the first time ever that I completely disagree with you. I believe that the most productive contending pair was Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who are the start of the conservative vs liberal ideologies of our country, and they were both correct, yet could not reconcile. However, even though they fought, they did with good intentions. They love our country and its people. And when they both retired, they started corresponding, trying to explain themselves and make reconciliations. For after all, they were both Americans who love their country. This is the example they left us, that we no longer follow, most unfortunately….

I think big cities, capitalism, central banking—they all would have happen with or without Hamilton, while Hamilton was a very ambitious man who was very aggressive about pushing it….

What made this country great is actually the notion of freedom that Jefferson championed, the American spirit that lets you say and do what you want, and give you the option to carve out your own niche at the frontier, rather than being stuck in a rat race, constantly being watched and controlled but the elites…. This is how the high tech revolution happened, this is how Elon Musk happened.

There’s this movie, The Final Master, that told the story about a man who merely wanted to open a martial arts school in the city of Tianjing, and what crazy bureaucracy and hoops he had to jump through yet still could not get anywhere. It describes the human spirit, which is embodied in the American Spirit that we all are so very proud of, which does not attribute to Hamilton in any way….