Hamilton wouldn't have forseen the Great Dora the Explorer Theft of 2008 by his "useful" child laborforce

Besides this advantage of occasional employment to classes having different occupations, there is another, of a nature allied to it, and of a similar tendency. This is–the employment of persons who would otherwise be idle (and in many cases a burthen on the community) either from the bias of temper, habit, infirmity of body, or some other cause, indisposing or disqualifying them for the toils of the Country. It is worthy of particular remark, that, in general, women and Children are rendered more useful, and the latter more early useful by manufacturing establishments, than they would otherwise be. Of the number of persons employed in the Cotton Manufactories of Great Britain, it is computed that four sevenths nearly are women and children; of whom the greatest proportion are children, and many of them of a very tender age.

Alexander Hamilton, Report on Manufactures

   Taking into account all that I’ve read of his writings — his contributions to the Federalist Papers, his positions at the Constitutional Convention, his writings when he was Secretary of the Treasury (as is the case with the Report) — he’s always struck me as a pompous ass.

    However, the other day I was coloring with my nephews and I had a bit of an epiphany that’s kind of similar to the one Hamilton seems to have had. See, my nephews do not color. My nephews call what they do coloring. They pick up a crayon, scratch a line across the page, and then immediately demand to “color” the next page of the coloring book. Not that I’m advocating child labor or anything, but I realized that in a pinch my nephews could make awesome quality control inspectors. You just throw a crayon in their hand, tell them to “color” the little inspection stickers as the products roll past, and everyone’s happy. For at least 2 minutes anyway and then there’s no telling what will be the focus of their attention. If I had to guess I’d put my money on any obvious buttons, levers, or pulleys.

   But alas, Hamilton’s sort epiphany did not involve harnessing children for their little quirks like the way they like to color or their ability to fire the neurons in their brain that start what appears to be a seizure the instant their every want and desire is not fulfilled. His epiphany involved using their skinny little arms and fingers to reach into the textile machines to fix things. 

    So yeah.. he was just a pompous ass. 

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