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Adams hated Hamilton initially because H tried to make sure that there was no tie between Washington and Adams for the presidency in 1788. This would be avoided by a few votes being cast for a candidate other than Adams. This prudent advice of H's was taken as a personal affront by Adams (as he was wont to do). When he later became president he inherited the cabinet which Washington had assembled. That cabinet had developed the habit of running everything through Hamilton even though he was no longer in the government. Adams was not aware of this. So for the first three years of his administration Hamilton ran the government as much as Adams.

Adams became aware of it and demanded their resignations. Of course, his habit of leaving Washington for months at a time to go home to Braintree did not help prevent such a practice.

Adams' vacillation about confronting France eventually provoked Hamilton into a fit of madness wherein he attacked Adams as "unfit" for the presidency in a private letter which Burr's minions pilfered from the mail and printed several months before the election. This may have helped Jefferson win the election it certainly could not have helped Adams.

Washington demanded that Hamilton be made second in command when the Army was being prepared for war, this made Adams do an about face and tone down the bellicosity. France, upon noting Hamilton would be the actual commander also became more receptive to peace.

Adams was a very prickly man and not friendly to those who did not share his high opinion of himself. His immediate dislike of Hamilton came more for personal reasons than policy. And he must have greatly resented Washington's high regard and great love of Hamilton and the fact that the Washington administration's policies almost all originated with Hamilton.

Burr was concerned about nothing but personal advancement and was a phony through and through. Women found him irresistible. Hamilton was correct in calling him despicable. He was instrumental in helping the Big City machine develop its methodology of vote stealing, vote fraud and corruption. The methods he and Tammany Hall developed have been used for over two hundred years to keep the Democrat Party strong.