Do you know the person on the 10 dollar bill? Was he a president? What is he known for? Many people do not know the answer to these questions. The man on the 10 dollar bill is Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was not a president, but he was a founding father. Hamilton, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, helped form and develop the government of the United States of America. In fact, Hamilton is the one to credit for the banking systems that keeps the United States running to this day. In other words, Hamilton was an important individual in the construction of the foundation of the United States. Yet, Hamilton is often overlooked, and he isn’t given the credit that he deserves. Therefore, Alexander Hamilton should not be overlooked because …show more content…
Alexander Hamilton was born in St. Croix, a small Caribbean island, in January 11, 1755. At the age of 11, Hamilton’s father abandoned his family. As a result, Hamilton began working as a clerk in a counting house of two New York merchants who had recently established themselves at St. Croix. After Hamilton’s mother’s demise when he was 13, Hamilton moved in to live with his cousin ("Alexander Hamilton"). Hamilton being an ambitious individual, he began reading every book he could get his hands on. Hamilton earned his reputation through his brilliance. At the age of 17, Hamilton won himself a promotion from the bookkeeper to the manager because of his dedication and industry knowledge ("Alexander Hamilton"). Soon, people started noticing how special Hamilton was, and they knew Hamilton was destined for greatness. The people also knew that Hamilton wasn’t able to afford to leave the island and pursue his education in the New World. Therefore, the people took up a collection, and they bought Hamilton a ticket to the New World. This is where Hamilton starts building his legacy, and the name Alexander Hamilton would soon be remembered for generations to …show more content…
As a result, many debates began over how to approach and resolve issues, and groups with the same interests began to form. This was the beginning of a new era because political parties started to form. Hamilton being a superb leader, he formed his own political party called the Federalist party, and his opponents were the Republican Party, created by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. This two political parties had different views on important issues. One of the issues was the national bank on how to manage the finances of a country. This began in 1789, when George Washington, the first president, appointed 34 year old Hamilton as the first Secretary of Treasury of the United States of America. Being in charge of the financial department of a new country, Hamilton began to assemble a banking system. Hamilton believed the country needed a national bank to help shake off its financial malaise and join the company of modern commercial nations(Davies). Therefore, Hamilton took the responsibility to create a banking system that would fix and govern the country's finances. The banking system presented by Hamilton “would not only enhance the federal government’s creditworthiness by issuing a currency suitable for the payment of taxes, investing in war debt and lending to the Treasury in emergencies, it would also expand the money supply and provide credit to merchants and other businesses to foster trade, both within the
The political divisions between the Federalists and the Republicans first surfaced when Hamilton proposed his financial plan. It is no doubt that George Washington fortified the new government, but at that time, the United States suffered from severe fiscal problem. The government was in huge debt to foreign power and individual bond and securities holders. Aiming to establish financial stability in the short run and to establish the United States as a “major commer...
Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis in the British West Indies. He was born on January 11 1755 or 1757. Rachel Fawcett and James Hamilton were his parents. His father left him and his mother when he was only ten. He had to get a job at 11 to support his family. When he was twelve his mom got sick and died. Alexander then moved in with his cousin, but sadly the cousin committed suicide. After the cousins death,
The Impact on America of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were completely at odds in their vision of how America was to develop. Hamilton wanted to concentrate power in a centralized federal government with limited access and Jefferson wished to diffuse it among all the eligible freemen of the time. Alexander Hamilton feared anarchy and distrusted popular rule while Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of liberty and freedom. Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers.
From the meager beginnings of a bastard child born out of wedlock, to one man heralding the power of friendship to the most powerful man in an early republic, Alexander Hamilton proved that what would come to be known as the American dream can be realized by anyone. Native or not; rich or poor; with the drive to realize your dreams, you can achieve them. Hamilton made great advances toward what we know as America today and left behind a legacy that has too commonly become forgotten.
Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11th in 1755 or 1757 (the exact date is unknown) on the
Of the many figures in American History, Alexander Hamilton has proven himself one of the most versatile and influential. His policies and ideals have helped the United States blossom into a prosperous world power. Through his power as secretary of Treasury and his convincing intellectual efforts, he was able to dominate the nations early political environment. Hamilton’s patriotic endeavors have proven themselves to be durable and in the best interests of the United States.
Alexander Hamilton was born a bastard child in the West Indies and demonstrated great intellectual potential at an early age. He was sent to New York City for schooling and studied at King’s College, now Columbia University. His vision of America took a more capitalistic tone and “he was determined to transform an economically weak and fractious cluster of states into a powerful global force” (Tindall & Shi, 2010). Hamilton advocated a strong central government. He was bold and persuasive and his philosophies quite extraordinary for his time.
Alexander Hamilton was a bastard son, orphan, immigrant, political scientist, soldier, and the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America who transformed not only the country’s banking system but also left a rich legacy that changed America forever. A forgotten founding father, he wrote his way out of poverty at fourteen and later became George Washington’s aide-de-camp and a respected soldier before becoming apart of the first cabinet of the United States. Hamilton not only had a notorious political career, but also personal life, which captivated Americans and heavily influenced his career. Alexander Hamilton’s early life, revolutionary years, years in public service and the cabinet as well as his scandal and devastating
Alexander Hamilton was born as an illegitimate child on the Island of Nevis on January 11, 1757. Alexander Hamilton was educated at what is now Columbia University. Hamilton served as a soldier and Washington’s personal secretary during the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, he studied law in New York and served in the Continental Congress from 1782-1783(Onager CD-ROM). In 1787 Hamilton...
Going hand in hand with his detestation of large, extremely controlling national governments, Jefferson was intent on having no national bank present in the US, but Hamilton was certain the country would benefit from one. For example, in a personal letter written by Alexander Hamilton, he wrote, “Mr. Madison, co-operating with Mr. Jefferson, is at the head of a faction, decidedly hostile to me, and my administration; and actuated by views... subversive of the principals of good government, and dangerous to the Union... Mr. Jefferson... [displays] his dislike of... funding [the] debt.” (Doc 2) Hamilton implied that by not advocating a national bank, Jefferson did not want to help the country pay off its debt. Jefferson, however, was dead set against having a national bank because he wanted the common people, such as the farmers, to have maximum influence on the government. This way, a strong central government could not have supreme political, economic, and social power, all of which together would open the doors for future corruption, even if the government was set up in the manner directed in the Constitution. Jefferson defended this judgement to the extent that he formed a political party so it could develop into a well-supported suggestion. Thus, the perspective on national banks could more efficiently progress into the point where it impacted the whole country and prevented the formation of a national bank. Equally, the excise tax proposed by Alexander Hamilton and carried out by Congress, factored in on Hamilton and Jefferson’s feud on having a national bank. In a letter written by Thomas Jefferson, he manifested his reaction to the excise tax by commenting, “The excise tax is an infernal one... [the public’s]
One such issue was that of the National debt and creating a National Bank. In 1790, Alexander Hamilton proposed that Congress should establish a national bank, in which private investors could buy stock, could print paper money, and keep government finances safe. Washington signed the bill establishing a national bank and started a strong foundation for a thriving economy and a stable currency.
After the first War for Independence, The United States was approximately $52 million in debt. Due to having such bad financial problems, the United States created a national Bank to create one unified currency, to take away all state debts, and to issue loans to the people to promote growth. This National Bank was created by Alexander Hamilton who was a Federalist, and once Jefferson came to be the President, he continued the idea of the national bank because it was helping to reduce the national debt. The primary reason for the National Bank being a representation of a Federalist idea was because since it was issuing loans to people it was able to promote industrial growth which was one of the main goals of the Federalist party. From Jefferson continuing the use of the National Bank thru his presidency he demonstrates his need to continue a loose constructionist idea.
After the establishment of the constitution, the Federalist administrations faces many significant challenges when dealing with the economics of the United States; much of the country was divided over issues such as how to raise money, establishing a public credit system, how to pay the national debt, and whether or not a national bank should be established. Leaders like Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison came to represent the ideas of the people and as these ideas became more solid, debate and opposition rose. The Federalists saw multiple ways to resolve these issues, and the resolutions established that leadership in the United States would be successful.
Alexander Hamilton was disliked by many people but, he is now popular because of a hit Broadway show created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757 in Charleston, Nevis in the British West Indies. He was abandoned by his father which made him an orphan at the age of 13. Hamilton started attending school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey but, plans changed, and he entered Kings College. At the age of 17 he was already interested in government. Later, in 1776 he was introduced to George Washington. He became Washington’s advisor not long after that. Some main events that changed Hamilton’s life were his family, his accomplishments, and George Washington.
Alexander Hamilton was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in the West Indies on the 11th of January 1755. His father, James Hamilton -- Scottish merchant of St. Christopher – was the younger son of a minor Scottish noble. His mother, Rachel Fawcett Levine was married a Danish proprietor of St. Croix named John Michael Levine. Ms. Levine left her husband John and was later divorced from him on June 25, 1759, two years after Alexander was born. His parents soon separated. However, Alexander grew up with his mother and his brother James, living on the ragged edge of poverty. He had no further contact with his father, and when his mother died in 1768, he became an orphan at the age of 11 (Hamilton).