An Assessment on the Virtue of Alexander Hamilton
“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore...grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” opens the hit Broadway play Hamilton (Miranda). That question sums up the beginning and end of the life of Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father of the United States, fairly well. He was born into poverty in the British West Indies, where eventually his father left him and his mother died. Nevertheless, thanks to hard work and determination, Hamilton went to college and became a key figure in American history. He fought in the American Revolution, helped form the Constitution, and established the Nnational Bbank. However, he also cheated on his wife, competed in a duel with a fellow congressman, and aggressively …show more content…
When he worked for Washington during the American Revolutionary War, Hamilton wrote reports on strategies and army restructures. His skill at that led to Washington giving him command of a battery of artillery at the Battle of Yorktown. Hamilton’s troops took over a redoubt, which, when paired with the capture of a second one, resulted in the British surrendering (“Yorktown”). After the war, Hamilton played a pivotal role in the formation of the American government. He helped form the concept of due process when he was a lawyer for loyalists, and as the first Secretary of Treasury, he campaigned for a stronger central government (History.com Staff). Thanks to his negotiations in the Compromise of 1790, Hamilton convinced the government to create a national bank that would control all economic policies, while the capital of the country would be moved to the border between Delaware and Virginia. The economic policies that resulted from the deal were the national government’s accumulation of the states’ debts, a federal system for tax collection, and the payment of war bonds (“Alexander Hamilton Biography”). Because of Hamilton’s plans, the United States gained a strong economy that would continue to work for over 200 …show more content…
This trait also happened to be one of his flaws, as it has gotten him into trouble numerous times. One such time was when Major General Charles Lee insulted George Washington “in the grossest...terms of personal abuse.” Lee was then challenged to a duel by Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, and Hamilton served as Laurens’ second. As a colonel, Hamilton should have prevented that duel, yet he stood by Laurens’ side and encouraged him to fight for Washington’s good name (“Account of a Duel between Major General Charles Lee and Lieu…”). However, this trait also made Hamilton achieve great things. For example, before the Constitution became ratified, Hamilton was outspoken about what it would do for the nation. He truly believed that it would have fixed the broken government that had resulted from the Articles of Confederation (“People & Events: Alexander Hamilton”). Thanks to Hamilton’s many essays for The Federalist and his speeches at conventions, Congress was convinced to ratify the Constitution, making it the foundation for the present-day United States
“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore...grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” opens the hit Broadway play Hamilton (Miranda). That question sums up the beginning and end of the life of Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father of the United States, fairly well. He was born into poverty in the British West Indies, where eventually his father left him and his mother died. Nevertheless, thanks to hard work and determination, Hamilton went to college and became a key figure in American history. He fought in the American Revolution, helped form the Constitution, and established the Nnational Bbank. However, he also cheated on his wife, competed in a duel with a fellow congressman, and aggressively …show more content…
When he worked for Washington during the American Revolutionary War, Hamilton wrote reports on strategies and army restructures. His skill at that led to Washington giving him command of a battery of artillery at the Battle of Yorktown. Hamilton’s troops took over a redoubt, which, when paired with the capture of a second one, resulted in the British surrendering (“Yorktown”). After the war, Hamilton played a pivotal role in the formation of the American government. He helped form the concept of due process when he was a lawyer for loyalists, and as the first Secretary of Treasury, he campaigned for a stronger central government (History.com Staff). Thanks to his negotiations in the Compromise of 1790, Hamilton convinced the government to create a national bank that would control all economic policies, while the capital of the country would be moved to the border between Delaware and Virginia. The economic policies that resulted from the deal were the national government’s accumulation of the states’ debts, a federal system for tax collection, and the payment of war bonds (“Alexander Hamilton Biography”). Because of Hamilton’s plans, the United States gained a strong economy that would continue to work for over 200 …show more content…
This trait also happened to be one of his flaws, as it has gotten him into trouble numerous times. One such time was when Major General Charles Lee insulted George Washington “in the grossest...terms of personal abuse.” Lee was then challenged to a duel by Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, and Hamilton served as Laurens’ second. As a colonel, Hamilton should have prevented that duel, yet he stood by Laurens’ side and encouraged him to fight for Washington’s good name (“Account of a Duel between Major General Charles Lee and Lieu…”). However, this trait also made Hamilton achieve great things. For example, before the Constitution became ratified, Hamilton was outspoken about what it would do for the nation. He truly believed that it would have fixed the broken government that had resulted from the Articles of Confederation (“People & Events: Alexander Hamilton”). Thanks to Hamilton’s many essays for The Federalist and his speeches at conventions, Congress was convinced to ratify the Constitution, making it the foundation for the present-day United States