The Early Life Of Alexander Hamilton

Decent Essays
Alexander Hamilton was a lawyer,officer,government official, and much more. Born in Nevis West Indies, it would be the place he would be for 16 years. Hamilton whilst he was ten lost his mother due to sickness; at that point Hamilton was an orphan because his father James Hamilton left after Alexander’s birth. When he was 11 he got his first job as an accounting clerk in an mercantile in St. Croix Through this early experience, Alexander Hamilton was exposed to international commerce and learned about the ways of money and trade.

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Washington himself emerged from a respected planter family in Virginia, and from an impressionable age, he became closely acquainted with courtly manners and customs of the best English culture. In contrast to Washington’s dignity and poise, Hamilton grew up in the Caribbean as an impoverished orphan from the “bastard brat of a Scottish peddler.” Nevertheless, these diverse backgrounds provided each man with a unique repertoire of skills and experiences that would benefit their future alliance. The authors claimed that Washington learned valuable skills such as surveying, horsemanship, and the arts of manners, deference, and genteel conversation, while Hamilton learned essential knowledge in management, bookkeeping, currency exchange, and republican ideals of Enlightenment. Together, these men complemented each other with the skills that forged an “indispensable…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton was a brilliant man who had a keen insight on economic policies. He was a member of President Washington’s Cabinet and was the secretary of treasury. Hamilton always had an affinity towards the British Government because he believed that there government was well- run, and this affected the way he thought about economic engagement. Hamilton was an advocate for a federalist government, a government centered on a strong central government that made the main decisions for the country. The federalist ideals and the love for Britain shaped his political decisions, and that is what caused him to create his revolutionary economic strategy for the United States.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While both men served prominent roles in the emergence of a two party system, Alexander Hamilton held a greater impact in molding our nation’s history. George Washington felt that choosing an ambitious man of intelligence was a very important decision when selecting Alexander Hamilton as his Secretary of Treasury. Hamilton believed that the future of America’s economy lay in the hands of those with capital because they were reliable with the government. Envisioning an industrial powered nation, Hamilton favored a strong central government and believed that the only way to economically flourish was through a government-assisted society. To enforce his ideology, Hamilton outlined a plan to Congress that consisted of three pathbreaking reports on public credit, a national bank, and manufactures (America A Concise History 194).…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The plot of Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton, tells the story of a poor, young immigrant who struggles his way to a position of power. Alexander Hamilton’s story begins in 1755, upon his birth in the tiny village of Charlestown, Nevis, and ends shortly after his tragic death in 1804. The book goes deep into the details of Hamilton’s struggles against poverty, death, scandal, and the constant threat of his relentless enemies looming over him. Alexander Hamilton was born in 1755 to James A. Hamilton, and Rachel Faucette. Shortly after his birth, James left Rachel and her two sons, Alexander and James, to fend for themselves.…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton, George Washington’s Secretary of Treasury, was born in the West Indies. He adopted America as his home country, and contributed many ideas when it came to the creation of the national government. According to The American Pageant: 13th Edition, “Critics claimed Alexander Hamilton was invested in helping the United States as a country succeed more than the United States citizens in general.” Alexander Hamilton was indeed more concerned for the country as a whole than the citizens alone because he proposed plans without thinking about the citizens, he forced differences between the North and South, and he cared more about the U.S. reputation than the citizens well-being. Alexander Hamilton proposed plans without thinking about the citizens.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hamilton dreamed of something bigger, so in 1772, Hamilton sailed off to America to begin an education at King's College. As Hamilton found his way into America, he was eager to earn fame and success for himself (Chernow 7-15). He wanted…

    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis in 1755 as an orphan. As a child, he witnessed the harshness of slavery in Nevis. He came to America to get a better education. While in America, he fought in war getting higher and higher in the ranks. He fought in multiple wars till he was asked by George washington to write his speeches for him.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton used his exceptional writing skills, persuasive skills and political strategy to form a successful three-part plan for our economy. He went from being a poor orphan, to being Washington’s right hand man during war, to being appointed the first sectary of treasury. Obsessed with writing his way into history, Hamilton became one of the most influential and distinguished found fathers. He took the United States from financial ruin to prosperity and left his legacy as father of the United States Banking…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Political Accomplishments of Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton was one of the founding fathers of our country. He was born on January 11, 1757 in Charlestown on the island of Nevis in the Leeward Islands, British West Indies (Yost 1). He moved to Elizabethtown, New Jersey in October, 1772 . There he was educated at King's College which later became Columbia University in New York City.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to Gordon, Hamilton is one of the most important figures in American history as he established the foundation for the economic power that America would become. In fact, “Historians and political scientists commonly credit Alexander Hamilton’s economic plans for revitalizing the American economy and providing the impetus for extended economic progress.” (489) Hamilton’s ideas quickly became central aspects of the modern capitalist economy that would continue to develop and flourish over time. In fact, Hamilton’s financial program was very successful as it led to the development of the New York Stock Exchange which is now the largest financial exchange in the world. Overall, Hamilton’s financial plan for the new government proved to be successful as his ideas were continually carried out even after his death.…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the eleven years before the Constitution was created, the Founding Fathers learned that they needed a strong national government, where a handful of people held all the power and did what they thought was best for the people, justly ruling with total control. Before the Constitution, the national Congress “did not have the powers to levy and collect taxes, or regulate trade and commerce between the states” (Text, 54). This meant that the government had no source for the money it needed and no way of controlling the actions of the people. Alexander Hamilton believed that “the only way to fix the growing problems of the new nation was to implement a strong national government designed to protect property and civil liberties from the state…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton, one the founding fathers and the first secretary of the treasury was born in the West Indies and traveled to the colonies as a teenager. His mother Rachel Faucette, died when Alexander was just eleven years old from a fever they both had. As for his father, James Hamilton left when Alexander was young. After the death of his mother, his hometown worked together to raise funds for him to get the colonies, starting with his former boss, Nicholas Cruger, who was sending him to America for an education.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It was early in the morning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. James Madison had been elected to be a representative to The Constitutional Convention. This morning, when he woke up he wasn't just hungry for food, he was also hungry for a strong government. He had an especially hearty breakfast, his meal consisted of eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits that he had learned to make when he was growing up in Virginia. It wasn't a typical day, he woke up with an urge to write, to make a difference.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Duel (The Parallel lives of Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr) MaKayley Smallwood. Publisher: Judith St. George. # of pages: 86 (not including the Epilogue) Early on the morning of July 11,1804, two men met on the dueling grounds of Weehawken ,New Jersey.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton’s plan was to take away old obligations by borrowing money at a low interest rate. Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia, saw no reason why they should be taxed by the federal government to pay off the debts of other states. A debate started in Congress. Hamilton's debt program was a success, by demonstrating that American’s were capable of paying their debts, that also foreign investors were interested. European investments even popped up trying to invest.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays