Transport yourself back to history class — your classmates , some drowse off , pose in those one - piece desk all lined up and facing the instructor . Terms like " Federalist Papers , " " U.S. Mint , " and " Aaron Burr " stand out in white chalk on a smudged , green blackboard . " Why do they call it a blackboard if it ’s green ? " you wonder , your nous drifting as the instructor refer something about aduel . Wait , a duel ? Where multitude shoot at each other ? That ’s interesting . She ’s talking about Alexander Hamilton — you know , the guy on the $ 10 flyer .
Unless you ’re a history lover , that might be about all you commemorate about this base Father . But given the popularity of the hit Broadway musicalHamilton , it might be time to sweep up on his biography a little bit . " My name is Alexander Hamilton , " leash actor Lin - Manuel Miranda whang ( yes , raps ) in the opening night turn , " and there ’s a million things I have n’t done . But just you waitress . " as luck would have it , you wo n’t have to wait long to rule out what he did as we have everything you involve to recognise about the animation and legacy of the " ten - dollar bill founding father " right here .
permit ’s start at the beginning — and quite a get-go it was . Hamilton , born in 1757 on the Caribbean island of Nevis , was the illegitimate Word of James Hamilton , a poor Scottish merchant , and Rachel Faucett , an English - Gallic plantation owner ’s daughter . After moving his sept to St. Croix , James abandoned his two sons and Rachel , who died in 1768 . Left to resist for himself , Alexander start working for Beekman and Cruger mercantile . The business ' proprietor quickly recognized the young orphan ’s talent and pay to send him to King ’s College ( now Columbia University ) in New York [ sources : National Archives , New York Historical Society ] .
Hamilton enrolled at King ’s in 1773 , and like any college student he enjoyed his part of extramarital activeness . But Hamilton ’s master diversionary attack was n’t summercater , partying or girls ; rather , he sowed his wild oat compose political brochure . Still just a teenager , Hamilton made a name for himself when he penned the pro - American study " A Full defense of the Measures of Congress , " which defended a proposed trade embargo with Britain . It was no surprisal , then , when the young firebrand join the Continental Army soon after the colonies declared independency from Britain in 1776 . There he adjoin George Washington , and that ’s when things really get exciting for Hamilton [ source : New York Historical Society ] .
Hamilton the Founding Father
despoiler alert : The colony persist in theAmerican Revolution , throwing off British principle to become the United States of America . OK , you credibly cognize that . But what you might not know is what an important role Alexander Hamilton play in the formation of the land — particularly the social organisation of its government .
In 1776 Hamilton joined the revolution as a captain in the Continental Army , formed his own heavy weapon unit , and fought in the conflict of Long Island , White Plains and Trenton . His service in the struggle of Princeton caught George Washington ’s eye , and before Hamilton could hike up his rear of tube he found himself work alongside the air force officer - in - chief as Washington’saide de summer camp , or confidential assistant . The two divvy up a close relationship : Hamilton , whom Washington dearly referred to as " my male child , " advised Washington and even composed some of his correspondence and speeches [ source : Maslin ] . But Hamilton was n’t just a " yes Isle of Man . " He bemoaned the Army ’s lack of brass and financing , two observations that would play a big use in how he came to look at the role of administration [ source : PBS , Alexander Hamilton , The Gilder Lehrman Institute ] .
Hamilton settled into a legal philosophy pattern after the war , but soon his country need him again . In 1787 , delegates from across the new nation , including Hamilton , arrive in Philadelphia to improve the country ’s system of authorities under its first constitution , theArticles of Confederation . or else , they started over , creating the Constitution that governs the United States today . What was Hamilton ’s contribution ? Not much , at least during the drafting form . Apparently , he lack a draw of the debates for line grounds , and even when he was there he did n’t get along very well with the other delegates [ sources : National Archives , PBS , Alexander Hamilton ] .
What he lack in attending , however , he more than made up for with his full - throated reinforcement for the concluding document . for sure , it might not have been precisely what Hamilton want , but recall his concerns over the lack of establishment and funding of the Army ? The novel Constitution addressed both of these problem by fortify the central administration and giving it the might to tax . For those reasons Hamilton teamed up with fellow Constitution superfans John Jay and James Madison to write"The Federalist,“a aggregation of 85 essay that defended the unexampled document . Thanks in gravid part to Hamilton ’s tireless promotion , the states ultimately approve the Constitution , and Hamilton ’s signature on the document is a will to his effort [ author : PBS , Alexander Hamilton ] .
Hamilton the Treasury Secretary
With the new Constitution in place , the United States held its first presidential election starting in December 1788 . To no one ’s surprise , the highly popular George Washington come out on top when the last suffrage was tallied . He quick rig about the line of building his cabinet of advisors and , remembering his older friend ’s firm service during the state of war , appointed Alexander Hamilton as secretary of the Treasury .
think , when Hamilton took charge of the Treasury in 1789 the United States ' economy was nothing like it is today . It was underdeveloped and relied heavily on agriculture . Hamilton set out to change that , laying out his vision for a new economy based on four main policies : gamy duty , investment in infrastructure , consolidation of state debt under the Union government , and the foundation of a central bank [ source : Cohen and DeLong ] .
You might be wonder what all that exactly intend , but it boil down to this : Hamilton desire to make an economy that helped industriousness . Hightariffs , or taxes on import , for British - made intersection gave American businessman a grounds to adorn in equipment and facilities of their own . These taxes in twist gave the government the money to meliorate roads , canal , embrasure , and other infrastructure that was crucial for barter and manufacturing [ root : Cohen and DeLong ] .
An extra benefit of the tariff revenue was that it give the Treasury the money it require to back thedebtstates incurred during the Revolutionary War . While taking on a bunch of debt may voice like a uncollectible move , it actually made the federal government much stronger ( and remember , Hamilton was all about a strong central administration ) . That ’s because the existence of a interior debt allowed the governing to issue bond certificate traded on the open marketplace , which then allowed it to borrow money at a much lower rate . Together , with the existence of a interior bank — which could lend the government money , issue bill and provide a stabilize force play to the nation’sbankingsystem — these insurance policy are credited with saving the fledgling land from financial ruin and set it on a path to become an industrialised nation [ source : Gordon ] .
When crime syndicate and fiscal factor converge , Hamilton resigned as Treasury secretary in 1795 and generate to his natural law practice in New York . Still , he remained heavily involved in state and national politics with a passion that in the end led to his demise .
Hamilton the Federalist
With the stalemated political clime in the United States today , it ’s prissy to think of its Founding Fathers as friends who rose above picayune politics to work together and make a great democracy . But that simply was n’t the caseful . These workforce spread rumor , hurtle insults and fought one another ’s succeeder at every number — and Alexander Hamilton was no exception . It was this filthiness that actually kill him .
Americans have George Washington ’s cabinet to thank for their two - company organisation , though Washington himself hated the estimate of political faction . Hamilton and his supporters became part of the Federalist Party , which trust in a strong primal government , a country built on industriousness and a snug relationship with Britain . This put him in battle with the small - government , agriculture - friendly , pro - French Republicans like fellowcabinetmember Thomas Jefferson . While Hamilton left public bureau for good when he resigned as Treasury escritoire in 1795 ( by from a short stint as examiner - general of the Army ) , he remained intemperately involved in Federalist politics [ source : PBS , Alexander Hamilton ] .
Hamilton broke rank with his party in 1796 to oppose Federalist John Adams ' bid to succeed Washington as United States President . His efforts fail , but this despite for Adams in all likelihood cost the nation ’s 2d president a second term in 1800 . That ’s because one of the Republican candidates in that election , Aaron Burr , free a private document in which Hamilton was powerfully critical of Adams . This split the Federalist Party , tolerate Republicans Jefferson and Burr to end up splice forelectoralvotes at the top of the balloting . With the tiebreaker now up to Congress , Hamilton then throw his living behind Jefferson , who finally gain ground . Burr polish off secondly , which , back in those Clarence Day , meant he became vice president [ source : PBS , Alexander Hamilton ] .
Hamilton and Burr got into it again when Burr ran for governor of New York in 1804 . The former Treasury secretary made it his mission to put down Burr , verbalise out against the vice Chief Executive at every opportunity . Burr suffer , and upon hearing that Hamilton had expressed a " unworthy opinion " of him at a dinner company , he became infuriated and challenged his Federalist enemy to a duel . The two faced each other at Weehawken , New Jersey , on July 11 , 1804 . After puff their artillery , Hamilton reportedly send away over Burr ’s oral sex to give him a moment to " hesitate and speculate . " But Burr did n’t return the gesture . Hit , Hamilton come to the ground and died the next twenty-four hour period [ sources : PBS , Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr ’s Duel , Dunn ] .
Hamilton’s Legacy
Alexander Hamilton ’s bequest , like that of many political figures , is complicated . When he and Burr turn to confront each other , pistols conjure up , his report was already in declivity . Many Americans still remember him for hisaffairwith Maria Reynolds . The political clout he once enjoyed was waning , and he struggled to be the Federalist kingmaker he once was . His recent move to The Grange , a country home north of New York City , had extend his finances — a site that worsened with some abortive attempts at domain venture [ author : National Archives ] . To make matters worse , his former death take into account his political foe to junk him in their late writings . John Adams , Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all had defective things to say about the defenceless Hamilton , calling him out of touch with the common homo and suggesting that deep down he preferred a monarchy friendly to England [ germ : Hartle ] .
But things would get well for Hamilton , even if he was n’t around to see it . For one , scholars now credit Hamilton with the American economy ’s tremendous success in its early years . His emphasis on manufacture , infrastructure and finance helped further independence from Britain not only in a political sense , but also in an economic sense . Scholars also see Hamilton ’s influence in today ’s economy . He ’s the one who first gave the government a part in the American thriftiness , create thing like a national debt and a national bank building — thing that are admittedly controversial but are undoubtedly grain in today ’s financial system . And Hamilton himself could not have envisage what his forwarding of industry and commercial enterprise would one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. help create : the largest economy the world has ever visit . It ’s no wonder he ’s been featured on more denomination of United States currentness than any other soul [ source : Gass , Cohen and DeLong , Hartle ] .
Despite all these accomplishments , Hamilton has n’t gotten as much attention as other Founding Fathers . But that may be change thanks to the musicalHamilton , performed and written by Lin - Manuel Miranda . In 2016 it took home the Grammy for Best Musical Album , causing Google lookup for the phrase " Who is Alexander Hamilton ? " to spike by 400 percent [ source : Falcone ] . So he did n’t become president , but he now has a melodious . Take that , Jefferson !
Lots More Information
How can we all know so little about a serviceman whose pic is on the money we handle almost every daylight ? That ’s the question I found myself require after write this clause and discovering what a fascinating and influential figure Alexander Hamilton really was . From his rags - to - riches journey to his innovative economical policies to his steamy affairs , there was something for everyone to like about Hamilton ’s story . Maybe the want of involvement is only because , as oneauthorput it , he was " the most important founding male parent who never became president . " We do love our prexy .
