The history of America was written in part by the results of Alexander Hamilton’s actions which were driven by his traits of loyalty, determination, and arrogance. In many ways Hamilton’s character aligns with that of the young United States. His decisions during the Revolutionary War and during America’s infancy reflect his loyalty to his country, his determination to see its ideals succeed, and his arrogance regarding his own ability in achieving his dream for America. Hamilton’s childhood molded his traits of loyalty, determination, and arrogance. Hamilton was born as an illegitimate son on January 11th, 1755, on the British Island of Nevis in the Caribbean to James Hamilton and Rachel Levine. The deck was stacked against him from the day …show more content…
At only thirteen, he was already working to better his future and secure relations with powerful nations. He believed that working there would help him get into a good college, preferable in America, and he was right. He later stated that he thought working at the trading firm was the most important part of his education where he learned facts of “global economic life, commodity prices, cash flow, exchange rates, bill collecting, and smuggling.” (Magnet, city journal) With little doubt in his young ability, Hamilton took over the company at age sixteen when his boss …show more content…
After seeing a documentation Hamilton had written after a devastating hurricane in his town, he was sent to Kings College in New York with a full scholarship. However, upon arriving in New York, was immediately infatuated with the potential American Revolution and was willing to forfeit his education to contribute to the American cause. He dropped out of college, which he had been working toward his whole life, to join the Sons of Liberty. He was just like his country, “young scrappy and hungry” (Miranda, McCarter, ) and was willing to risk everything for it. Hamilton also showed loyalty to George Washington in order to help his country and because Washington stood for what Hamilton was determined to be. Washington agreed that Hamilton was “trustworthy and loyal” (Kline, 50) and recognized his abilities. He asked Hamilton to be his Aide De Camp, or right hand man on March 1st, 1777. As Aide De Camp, he wrote letters to soldiers, generals, and Congress, and outlined plans for a government for America. An idea Hamilton was loyal to was a representative democracy. However talented Hamilton was at writing, he still wanted to “fight not write”(Miranda, McCarter) but he did it anyway because he knew he was needed to help the war effort and put his loyalty to America’s ideals before
This is the time when George Washington was the president. After college, elementary school and his job, he met George Washington. According to a different article in Newsela Hamilton was George Washington's former aide. They started the first African American school. They also fought for Native Americans equal rights. It is proved just by those sentences that George Washington trusted Alexander Hamilton more than anyone. Judging by history it is clear to say that they won the Revolutionary war together. After the revolutionary war it was the next election. Time for George Washington to leave and for the next president to come up. Hamilton voted for Thomas Jefferson rather than Aaron Burr, sadly this is the part that lead to Hamilton’s
Both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had many differentiating views on many different topics. During the time period when they had been living, America was just starting out as a country. It took many years for America to become a successful and powerful country, but during the time period when Hamilton and Jefferson had been alive, the country had yet to run smoothly and orderly. Since America had been just starting out as a country, many important decisions had to be made. Alexander Hamilton had been born on the island of St. Croix in the Caribbean, but at a young age a hurricane had struck the island, causing Hamilton to write a vivid description of the storm impressing anybody who read it. The island’s leaders recognized this young
The only truth is that he was born out of wedlock - something looked at far worse 200 years ago than it is now. However, being fatherless was the least of Hamilton’s setbacks. Ones that make the list include: Hamilton’s mother dying at his young age of ten, his cousin, who took care of him after his mother death, committing suicide, a hurricane obliterating his town, and many more. All the ones listed happened before arriving in America in 1772.
Alexander Hamilton was a hard-working and pride-filled man that accomplished a lot in his life. He did his best in everything he did and never did anything with half-effort. “Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.” -Alexander Hamilton, quote #5. He lived an opulent and bigotry life, as he became a founding father and influenced today’s world.
When someone makes a mistake, no matter how big that mistake may be, it’s important to understand that you make sure not to make the same mistake again. And as far as I’m concerned, Alexander Hamilton never made the same mistake twice. It’s one thing to make mistakes, but it’s another to continue to make the same mistake over and over again. By that time, it’s obvious you didn’t learn your lesson the first time. Alexander Hamilton, as far as I know, learned from his mistakes.
Everyone has heard the name Alexander Hamilton, but few are familiar with his views and actions regarding the survival of the young American republic. He could be recognized for anything from serving our fledgling country by fighting in the New York militia; to serving his community as a lawyer and as a national tax agent; to beginning his
Now that the Constitution has passed and the nation was looking for it’s first President, Hamilton was focused on establishing George Washington as the nation’s first President which we get a glimpse into from the letters Convincing Washington to Serve and Presidential Etiquette addressed to Washington from Hamilton. Washington, not one to volunteer for the spotlight, takes some urging from Hamilton’s persuasive writing to agree to run for office as the first president of the United States. This is another instance where Hamilton’s personal writings showcase his political intellect. In this case, it results in the nation’s first president, who in turn leaves a great legacy behind (Convincing Washington to Serve). In Presidential
Upon finishing our class reading of Shakespeare's Macbeth, we were assigned an essay that had to show that we understood Macbeth in whatever way we found appropriate. For my essay, I will be comparing Macbeth’s life to the life of Alexander Hamilton. I will talk a little about Hamilton’s life, explain why I chose to compare the two, and then give similarities I found that the two shared. Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary of the United States, was one of the founding fathers of the U.S. He was born on January 11, 1775 in St.Croix, and came to America in hopes of going to school and fighting in the American Revolution after his mother died and his father abandoned him.
Hamilton came to America and sought to make changes. Once in the position to do so, he spent all of his time working towards his goals. We see this in "Nonstop," which references the writing of the federalist papers. "In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays, in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing five.
Alexander Hamilton is known as a great statesman, but he also exhibited the epic hero trait of a great warrior. He volunteered to fight in the Revolutionary War, then was promoted to lieutenant colonel and aide-de-camp under George Washington. During his time as a secretary and aide-de-camp for Washington, he longed deeply for military glory. Hamilton’s traits as a great warrior are demonstrated in abundance throughout the Revolutionary War:
Alexander Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis in 1755. Hamilton's parents were Rachel Fawcett Lavien, who was of British and French Huguenot descent, and James Hamilton, a Scottish trader. After being left by his father, the death of his mother left him an orphan at the age of 13. He was taken in by his cousin and then later by a wealthy merchant family who noticed his intelligence and drive. He attended Kings College in New York City but with the American colonies on the brink of a revolution, Hamilton was drawn more to political involvement than he was to academics. Hamilton joined a militia company in 1775 and the following year he formed an artillery company, his first notable creation. After that he become
Alexander Hamilton was a very influential leader at the time of the American Revolution and helped with many complications. When Hamilton was a young adult, he started out as George Washington’s consultant during the Revolutionary War, writing many documents and letters for him. In 1782, Alexander was chosen to be a representative for New York in Congress. Just a mere 2 years later, Hamilton began to serve in the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention. He saved the Convention from failing, by declaring another Convention the next year. Since Hamilton was the founder of the Federalist Party, he helped write the Federalist
Although Hamilton attended most of the proceedings at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, he did not actually participate much in the drafting of the new document. Hamilton argued that a new and stronger central government was needed to correct the mistakes made in the government outlined in the Articles of Confederation, but
George Washington had recognized Hamilton’s leadership abilities and promoted him as Lieutenant Colonel. He was also an innovator of military design, where he designed reports on the defects and how there could be improvement in the military. While Hamilton was working as an adviser for Washington, Hamilton had come to realize the Congress' weaknesses, including jealousy between states, which he believed came from the Articles of Confederation (http://www.ushistory.org/). In 1782, Hamilton was convinced that establishing a strong central government was the key to achieving America’s independence.
On the other hand, Hamilton’s self-righteousness sometimes helped him and his country. When the Constitution was under fire by many in Congress and in the public, Hamilton took it upon himself to defend it and make sure it stayed in place even with a few amendments. In the song “Non-Stop,” Hamilton puts so much effort into defending the Constitution. This attitude led him to rise to his highest points in the cabinet. At the beginning of the song, he tries to convince Burr to help him in the middle of the night, as Burr puts it, “How do you write like you’re running out of time?” (Miranda and McCarter 143). Hamilton ends up leaving his wife home against her wishes to go and be the secretary of the treasury. From here on, Hamilton joined forces with one of his political opponents, Madison, to write The Federalist Papers. On that topic, the narrator Burr states, “The plan was to write a total of 25 essays work divided evenly among the three men. In the end, they wrote 85 essays, in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing 5. James Madison wrote 29. Hamilton wrote the other 51.” This shows the positive impact of Hamilton’s self-righteousness and describes the reason that he became secretary of the treasury and a founding father. His love to write and his attitude brought him far in his line of work and has impacted his life positively by making him a high official in the government and a respected person.