Alexander Hamilton In American's Life In Life

Alexander Hamilton was one of America’s most important founding fathers. He was a lieutenant colonel who served under General George Washington in the American Revolutionary War, a successful lawyer who spent a majority of his career also involved in the politics of our early country, and The United States of America’s first Secretary of the Treasury. He accomplished so many wonderful things in his too short life: founding the National Bank, creating the framework for what would later become the Coast Guard, and writing some of the most influential works of his time period. Despite all these high achievements, Hamilton’s later years in life were marked by trials and tribulations that would lead to a noticeable decline in his mental health.

Mclane claims that Hamilton had been grooming his eldest son, Philip, for his work in law and had hoped his bright, young boy would someday be his protégé. Philip Hamilton’s future had been Hamilton’s pride, and having this taken from him was devastating for Alexander Hamilton. Mclane mentions Alexander and Philip Hamilton’s strong bond, stating the two shared “a most affectionate sympathy.”2 Mclane includes a few letters that prove Hamilton’s professional interest in Philip’s studies, but also show the care and endearment that Hamilton truly shares for Philip. Their paternal bond, something Hamilton was not able to share with his real father, would have made it much more difficult for Hamilton to lose his son. Mclane clearly states that Philip’s untimely death mentally destroyed Alexander Hamilton, and he was never truly able to recover from this traumatic event. This lasting impact of trauma was an important marker of Hamilton’s mental health in the last few years of his