Alexander Hamilton is counted as one of the founding fathers of the
United States of America. Extremely vocal and active in politics, his vision of government shaped the American nation as it is today. His legal
and political theories guided many of the nation’s leading politicians of
his time, yet he also attracted a vocal and popular opposition.
Early years
Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755, on the island of
Nevis in the British West Indies. He was the son of James and Rachel
Hamilton He had a difficult childhood on the neighboring Danish island of Saint Croix. His father abandoned the family when Alexander
was ten, and his mother died three years later in 1768.
Hamilton’s natural intelligence, ambition, and remarkable business
judgment inspired relatives and prominent citizens to send Hamilton to
a private school in New Jersey. He later enrolled at King’s College (now
Columbia University) in 1773. In 1780, Hamilton married Elizabeth
Schuyler, the daughter of American Revolution general and New York
politician Philip Schuyler (1733–1804). Hamilton was admitted to the
bar to practice law in 1782, but he soon turned to politics.
A politician
Hamilton became interested in politics as a student at King’s College,
where he wrote his first pamphlets defending the colonists’ War of
Independence, or the American Revolution (1775–83). These writings captured the attention of General George
Washington (1732–1799). At only twenty-two
years of age, Hamilton joined the general’s military staff as a lieutenant colonel. He became invaluable to Washington during his four years of
service. The relationship they established during
this time later enabled Hamilton to pursue politics as a career.
Hamilton supported the cause of the revolution, but he eventually criticized the American
government set up in 1781 under the Articles of
Confederation (the forerunner to the U.S.
Constitution). He felt government under the articles was weak, and so he encouraged a change.
As one of New York’s delegates to the
Constitutional Convention in 1787, Hamilton
proposed an extraordinarily powerful national
government, one similar to a monarchy (a
government ruled by a single person, such as a
king or queen, with absolute power). The
Constitution created a more democratic government, but Hamilton supported it. A series of essays he wrote with Virginia politician and future U.S. president James
Madison (1751–1836) and Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay
(1745–1829) proved to be very influential in the state conventions that
met to approve the new Constitution. These eighty-five essays, the
Federalist Papers, were published in a New York newspaper between
October 1787 and May 1788. Credited with writing two-thirds of the
essays, Hamilton used them to explain the powers of three branches of
government under the proposed Constitution.
America’s first secretary of the treasury
George Washington became president in 1789 and named Hamilton to
be the first secretary of the treasury. It was a position Hamilton took seriously, and he worked swiftly to establish a strong national economy.
Hamilton believed the federal government should promote a strong
economy by bolstering commerce. His belief in the connection between
national power and commerce meant he did not limit his involvement to domestic financial policies. Hamilton injected himself into every
major decision on financial, domestic, and foreign policy that could help
make the United States a commercial powerhouse. To achieve such results, Hamilton interpreted the Constitution to give Congress almost
unlimited legislative power. His aggressive policies and elitist politics created enemies among politicians and people who wanted government to
be stronger at the state and local levels rather than at the federal level.
Even after retiring from the treasury position in 1795, Hamilton
maintained his influence in national politics. He remained an important
leader of the Federalist Party, which he had formed, by advising
President Washington, President John Adams (1735–1826; served
1797–1801), and various Federalist members of Congress. Hamilton’s
influence caused problems within President Adams’s administration and
within the Federalist Party itself. Several important leaders became political opponents of Hamilton, including Adams, President Thomas
Jefferson (1743–1826; served 1801–9), and Vice President Aaron Burr
(1756–1836).
The duel
Hamilton became an outspoken critic of Burr, a personal and political
rival. Burr’s politics vacillated, and he held governmental offices as both
a Federalist and a Republican (the opposing political party at the time).
In 1804, Hamilton criticized a Federalist plan to support Burr for governor of New York. (Burr was not being renominated as vice president.)
Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel after Hamilton refused to apologize
for scornful remarks he had made. On July 11, 1804, in Weehawken,
New Jersey, Burr shot and wounded Hamilton. Hamilton died the next
day in New York City.