The moral philosopher from Kirkati, Scotland began to be woven into the fabric of the American experiment. Alexander Hamilton actually cribbed bits of Adam Smith in his own report on national banks. By the mid 19th century, political economy was an established academic discipline.
Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. Prepare for a very Smithy tug of war. (Part 2 of “In Search of the Real Adam Smith.”)