How can a bastard child from a small island in the caribbean be related to the very founding of America? The answer is found in this man’s sheer determination and unprecedented zeal. Alexander Hamilton was one of America’s founding fathers despite the fact of not stepping foot on its soil until he was in his late teens. In his biography appropriately titled Alexander Hamilton, Historian Ron Chernow examines how this consistently unlucky child was paramount in founding key aspects of the America we know today. From Hamilton, one can learn two things. The first being that background, no matter how unimaginably awful, can be overcome and seen as more than a series of debilitating hurdles. The second is that one never knows how much time they have, so don’t waste a minute. …show more content…
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. Ron Chernow calls Hamilton, “The human word machine”(444). After his death, Hamilton’s loving wife made an attempt to organize all his writings, hiring biographers. After countless biographers failed, the task fell on one of their children, John Hamilton. In the end, a seven-volume account of Alexander Hamilton’s writings was created (3). To prove even more how Hamilton wrote constantly and with passion, we can look at the Federalist Papers. In the span of six months, Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrote 85 essays. Of these, Alexander Hamilton is said to have wrote
America has long been considered a great, powerful country. From its beginning, the United States had the potential to be something revolutionary. The idea of a democracy was, in the 1700’s, strange. While many men are regarded as key elements in the birth of America, one man stands out, despite his sometimes being overshadowed by fellow Founding Fathers. Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant, soldier, and the first Secretary of the United States Treasury, among his other contributions to America. He had dreams for his adopted country and was highly determined to see them to fruition and create a new, remarkable nation. Alexander Hamilton embodies the characteristics of an epic hero because he was a great warrior, he was capable of great deeds of strength and courage, and he is a national hero.
There are many characteristics that could impact one’s life in a negative way causing them to lose everything in life such as selfishness, messiness, untrustworthiness, self-righteousness, or ego. In the award-winning musical, Hamilton: The Revolution, by Lin-Manuel-Miranda, the character of protagonist, Alexander Hamilton may be described in many ways. However, one character trait stands out among the rest. The main character trait of Alexander Hamilton, self-righteousness, shaped everything about his life: how he grew up, how he dominated in debates, and even how he fell from grace. Hamilton always stuck by his ideals, not caring whether it affected other people. These traits led him to lose and gain
Alexander Hamilton was a very important role in american history. Alexander was born on January 11th, 1755 in Nevis, British West Indies. He was the child of Rachel Faucett Lavien and James Hamilton. He started working at a very young age of 11 as a clerk. He later moved to Elizabethtown new jersey and also attended grammar school there. In 1774, he entered and graduated King's College in New York City in just one year.
As a child, Hamilton's dad left his family at a young age. When he was ten, his mother and him got very sick, he did not die, but his mother. After his mother died, he went to live with his cousin, but soon after his cousin killed himself. At the age of ten, he was living on the streets. His stepbrother got him a job working for Alexander’s mother's old landlord. Later in his life, there was a great
Part of the reason that Hamilton is not remembered as well as other Founding Fathers, is that he does not fit nicely into any political boxes, or schools of thought. As an immigrant from the Caribbean, he was a poster boy for the ‘American Dream’, and his humble
Alexander, most likely had a bad case of influenza. Although Hamilton finally came around to defeating his illness, his mother died of Typhoid fever, sad to think that Hamilton had thought all his troubles were looking less bleak. When reading these interesting facts about him it shows that even from the worse set of circumstances, people can make the best of what lies ahead of them. What a bare background a person can have, and still become a person who helps shape the world for future generations. Meanwhile Hamilton’s brother James was sent to become a carpenter, he was offered to be a merchant and an importer. Hamilton’s brother had to learn the role of being a clerk. As a trainee to a man named Nicholas Cruger, Hamilton’s Brother used his skills in reading and mathematics it afforded him the opportunity to prove his ability to succeed.
[5]Although some may think otherwise, Alexander Hamilton actually did not compose plenty of the constitution. [4]Hearing this, you may think Alexander Hamilton was not involved with the constitution, if you believed this preposterous you were clearly mistaken. [1]Hamilton collaborated with James Madison, who became the 4th US president, and John Jay, first chief justice of the Supreme Court, and he wrote fifty-one out of the eighty-five famous Federalist Essays. [5]When George Washington became the first President of the United States of America in 1789, he appointed Alexander Hamilton as America’s first secretary of the treasury. [3]Depressingly, this was an incredibly hard job, because of National Debts. [6]Alexander strengthened the central government. [1]He left his treasury job in 1795. Between all of these achievements it is clear why Alexander Hamilton is considered one of America’s highly respected founding
Alexander Hamilton, having been born in the British West Indies, endured a difficult childhood, largely because there was little money to spare. His father, James Hamilton, was offered a job on St. Croix, collecting money from a man in debt. Due to this, Alex and his family moved to the island. Shortly after collecting the debt, James left St. Croix alone, deserting his family forever. Alexander never saw his father again, but proceeded to express his feelings to James through letters. Two years later, Hamilton and his mother were struck deathly ill. Alex began to recover, but his mother unfortunately perished. Left as an orphan, Alexander felt as though life couldn’t get any harder. That was, until the hurricane hit. The disaster spread devastation throughout the entire island. Hamilton wrote a letter to his father, describing the
His early life was that Hamilton lived on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies and he had a mother and father whose names were Rachel Fawcett Lavien and James Hamilton. Growing up his mother didn’t make enough for him
Their mission was simple, fix the Articles of Confederation. At this point, the Articles were fragile and couldn't support the Union any longer. At this meeting of delegates, he made clear his feelings about developing a new, sturdier government. Hamilton, while not necessarily having a major role in the actual drafting and finalization of writing the Constitution, he did powerfully influence of its ratification. However, he didn't accomplish this task alone; he was assisted by John Jay and James Madison. Together, they wrote a collection of eighty-five essays in defense and support of a new Constitution. Hamilton is credited with 51 essays, 29 to James Madison, and 5 to John Jay. This collection, known early as The Federalist, later became known as The Federalist Papers, and we still refer to them as such, today. The Federalist Papers were posted in local newspapers on September 17, 1787, until August 16, 1788. Their efforts proved rather useful and influential in the state of New York. It was New York, who once convinced, agreed to ratify the Constitution. The remaining eight colonies then followed quickly behind to show their support for the
Born out of wedlock on the on Leeward Island of Nevis in the West Indies on January 11, 1757, Alexander Hamilton's life would fittingly begin with a flair of drama. His parents, James Hamilton and Rachel Fawcett, were involved in a marriage-less relationship that resulted in the illegitimate birth of two children. Hamilton's parents did their best to pass themselves off as a properly married couple, but his mother was still legally married to her first husband Johann Michael Levien. Among allegations of whoring, infidelity and abandonment of husband and child, Levien would file for divorce from Fawcett in 1759 which was two years after Alexander's birth. Because Fawcett was found guilty on the charges brought against her, she was not capable of legally marrying again. James and Rachel would eventually part ways as James chose to abandon the family when Alexander was eight years old
Hamilton was born as the result of an adulterous affair in the British West Indies between 1755 and 1757. He had a hard upbringing, losing his mother at the tender age of 13, and was abandoned by his father in 1766. In his teen years, Alexander Hamilton headed for the mainland colonies. Shortly after, he enrolled in Kings College which is now Columbia University in New York City. Finding that he was more interested in politics than academics, Hamilton wrote his first political paper defending Patriots against Loyalists in 1774. He joined the Patriots’ cause against British taxation and regulations on businesses, believing in a strong central government.
Alexander Hamilton carried the labels, illegitimate child, immigrant, and orphan. Unlike most people, he let this motivate him to rise above his given life. He had to make a name for himself. To receive the credit another man was given, he had to work ten times harder. He was also in the right place to do this, America during a revolution. The revolution inspired change and more acceptance. Hamilton’s ideas for a new form of government were accepted because of how desperately they were needed. To get his ideas across he made friends with other hard workers and revolutionary men. George Washington, the first President had more influence on Hamilton’s life. He gave Hamilton a role in the new country, securing his place in American history.
Alexander Hamilton, born 1757 in the Caribbean, was a lawyer and politician, as well as one of the founder fathers of the United States of America, and a military leader throughout the American Revolution. Hamilton was the first secretary of treasury, and was key in the creation of not only the U.S constitution, but the U.S itself; along with abolition of the slave trade. Hamilton was the son of a Scottish merchant, who abandoned him at a young age, and a British mother who died when Hamilton was 11, leaving him an orphan. Left in poverty, he began working as an accountant for a trading company, impressing his employers with his intelligence at such a young age, so much so that in 1773, at the age of 16, they paid for him to travel to New York
He had many events happen in his early life, war life, and life after the war. He helped American citizens gain freedom from Britain, helped the Treasury, and even fought well in the war. Without Hamilton’s work, we wouldn’t have the same country that we have today.