Hamilton 's early military and political aspirations flowered with a series of remarkable accomplishments. On March 14, 1776, just two years after his first public speech regarding the war, he was commissioned captain of a company of artillery set up by the New York Providential Congress. Hamilton 's first military conflict would be the Battle of Long Island in August of that same year. That would not be his only battle; he also took part in the Battle of White Plains and the Battle of Trenton. Alexander’s military success was winning the interest of a General named Nathaniel Greene and an officer named Henry Knox, the latter would go on to be the first Secretary of War. Both these people offered Hamilton a position as their personal advisor, …show more content…
He figured that if it was ever ratified, Washington would be the first president. “This…will insure a wise choice of men to administer the government.”(Brookhiser 90) Well, he certainly wasn’t wrong, and “One of the wisest choices Washington made, two years later, was Hamilton as treasury secretary.”(Brookhiser 90) Alexander Hamilton held the position of first ever Secretary of Treasury for five and a half years. During this time he accomplished many feats such as submitting to Congress “…a report on the public credit that provided for the funding of national and foreign debts of the United States, as well as for federal assumption of the states ' revolutionary debts.”(Hamilton.org) His arguments for a more powerful central government were so strong, he managed to strike a deal with long-time critic Thomas Jefferson that would include officially backing Hamilton’s plan. In fact, Alexander Hamilton is almost solely responsible for the establishment of the credit of the entire United States. He established the first ever National Bank and published a report on it that involved a genius, albeit complex plan that had the U.S. government itself taking loans just to fund the bank’s construction. It was a hit with the senate and passed practically unanimously, despite a few critics, maintaining Hamilton’s respect and influence. Even while maintaining a position like his, Hamilton got elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1791. He also established the U.S. Mint with a bit of help from those European economics he learned during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton also helped out with some smaller political projects during this time, such as the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 which ended before it started, many debates regarding industry manufacturing, and was even indirectly involved in the creation of the Coast
The day that Alexander Hamilton was first placed into the United States Government would be the day which would forever change our nation. The time when he would start and create a fantastic economy out of scratch. He did it with one brilliant five point plan. But there were three parts of the plan which were the body of this project. These were the assumption of state debt, the whiskey tax, and the construction of a national bank. All of these together would enhance our economy, before the tyrant Jackson would destroy them (bank). Nevertheless, his plan dealt with and solved the tough issues such as federal debt, government money supply, and economical shape throughout our nation. So for these answers he gave to our people, we must be grateful
You may of heard about the musical Hamilton, witch is about the great founding father Alexander Hamilton. Do you know all the other facts about his life? Here are some of his biggest facts.
Finally, Alexander Hamilton’s views on government were better for what the United States would become. Hamilton’s views on government were better for what the United States would become because he was a Federalist and believed in a strong central government. Also because of the way he viewed national debt, and the way he viewed foreign affairs. These are all ways that prove Alexander Hamilton’s views on government were better for what the United States would
Alexander Hamilton wanted to promote commerce and industry through a strong central government. He also would diversify American economic life by encouraging shipping and creating manufacturing through legislative directives. Hamilton also believed that a republican style of government could only succeed by the direction of a governing class.
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 political career as a representative for New York at the National Congress. Though most would agree his most important contribution to our struggling republic was to spearhead the project which formed the doctrine helping to establish the foundation in which modern democracy is based, the Articles of Confederation.
Alexander Hamilton remains to be one of America’s most important people. Not only was he the first secretary of the treasury of the United States, he also was one of America’s founding fathers. Hamilton believed that a strong central government should rest on a solid financial foundation. The creation of the first national bank was to support this idea. He also served in the American army under George Washington. Hamilton also had established good relations with the British which resulted in foreign trade. “He conceived and started “The Federalist” and wrote most of those famous essays which riveted the attention of the country, furnished the weapons of argument and exposition to those who "thought continentally" in all the states, and did more than any thing else toward the adoption of the constitution.”(virtualology, paragraph 20) Hamilton created a system of tariffs which was believed to help relieve national and state debts. He then became the leader of the federalist party. Alexander Hamilton had many accomplishments in his life as a result of many various factors. But the most important trait that Hamilton possessed was his ambition
One of the earliest examples of Hamilton’s power was his role in the national assumption of state debts. After the Revolutionary War, individual states had varying amounts of debt. States with less debt were in favor of paying it off themselves, while those with greater debt needed some federal aid. Wanting to make the country more unified, Hamilton saw making a large collective national debt as a way to bring together the states. “Hamilton’s impulse, therefore, in assuming all outstanding state debts was to avoid unnecessary and destructive competition between state and federal governments, and at the same time to preempt the best sources of revenue for the United States Treasury” (Elkins and McKitrick 119). The author states Hamilton’s motives for assumption were to eliminate competition between the states that might damage the union. This fits in with his larger policy of strong national government. Other politicians were opposed to this, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Their opposition to the plan went away as assumption became associated with other less controversial plans of Hamilton’s. Madison even turned in defense of the plan after being convinced of Hamilton’s financial vision (Bowers 61). Hamilton made a compromise turning out in his favor when he allowed Madison and Jefferson to have a capital on the Potomac River. This allowed him to pass his plan more...
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
As a federalist Alexander Hamilton wanted to establish a stronger federal government under a new Constitution. He met in Philadelphia with other delegates to discuss how to fix the Articles of Confederation that created a weak central government. During the meeting, Hamilton expressed his view that a dependable current source of revenue would be crucial to develop a more powerful and resilient central government. Although Hamilton played a diminutive part in the writing of the Constitution itself, he did heavily influence its ratification. In cooperation with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton wrote fifty one of eighty five essays under the joint title The Federalist “The Federalist Paper.” In the essays, he cunningly explained and defended the newly drafted Constitution prior to its approval. In 1788, at the New York Ratification Convention, two thirds of delegates opposed the Constitution, however Hamilton was a powerful advocate for ratification, effectively arguing against the anti Federalist persuasion. His efforts succeeded when New York agreed to ratify, which led the remaining eight states to follow. He had a proposal for the new government that was modeled on the British system, which Hamilton considered the best.
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...
Hamilton was President Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury in the Cabinet in 1789-1795. The first task that Hamilton took care of for President Washington, was the problem of public credit. Since the government had taken on so much debt during the Revolution they deeded a plan to pay it all off. When proposing this idea the vow to pay them back was not taken very seriously. Toward the end of the 1780s, the state IOU's, or money borrowed to finance the Revolution, were seen as nearly valueless. Hamilton then issued a bold proposal that the federal government should pay off all the state’s debts at face value. To raise money for this, Hamilton offered to issue new securities bonds. The people who bought these would pay a huge profit.
In the United States during the late 18th century, the American Colonies were struggling with their identity. The Revolutionary War had won Americans their collective freedom, but the best way to exercise it was the subject of much debate. One American, Alexander Hamilton, felt a need for a common, strong economic and political base for the states. This ideology stemmed from both his boyhood on the Island of St. Croix, and trying events during the Revolutionary War- influences that would later be instrumental in his publishing of the Federalist Papers.
The broadway hit play Hamilton, written by Lin Manuel Miranda, is viewed as an educational play about Alexander Hamilton, one of the United States’ founding fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury. The play captures the spirit of Alexander Hamilton’s ambition, eloquence, and mistakes in a revolutionary format-as revolutionary as Hamilton himself! Combining rap, musical theater, and history, Hamilton is an enthralling and entertaining play that is mostly accurate to the real Alexander Hamilton. The details of Hamilton’s life and relationships that were misrepresented in the play to achieve the theatrical flair.
He wrote the charter for and was also an assisting founder of the Bank of New York, one of the first banks established in the United States under independence. One of his more notable ventures was his undying pursuit to ratify a new Constitution. He represented New York at the first Constitutional Convention in 1787. During the convention two main plans were proposed for government, the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan included a bicameral legislature along with an executive and judiciary that would be chosen by the national legislature. The New Jersey Plan called for a system comprised of a one-house legislature giving each state one vote. It gave Congress the power to raise revenue and established a Supreme Court with judges that were appointed for a life term. However when Hamilton attended the convention he went on to propose his own plan. He actually supported a system that was modeled similarly to the British. During the convention he advocated for his idea of a new form of government. Part of this plan included electing a leader who was given the power to govern as the president, two houses of Congress with elected representatives, a Judiciary comprised of 12 judges, and a governor who was elected as well. In his plan he stated that these positions would be served “during good behavior” meaning the elected term had no limit. So essentially governors, judges, and senators could serve until they died or until they were forcibly removed from office. The idea was not pleasing to many of his opponents at the convention because it sounded just as tyrannical as the system they had just fought so hard in a bloody war to escape. The existing Articles of Confederation contained many defects. Hamilton saw this and knew it was time to replace it with something new and improved. Even though he did not favor the final
Alexander Hamilton, one of the most important people of the time, was the first Secretary of the Treasury. Utilising federal power to modernize the nation, he convinced Congress to use an elastic interpretation of the Constitution to pass laws that Jefferson deemed unconstitutional. These laws included federal assumption of the state debts, creation of a national bank, and a system of taxes through a tariff on imports and a tax on whiskey. Hamilton was also the creator of the Federalist party. In contrast, Thomas Jefferson was born to a wealthy family but was nonetheless an anti-federalist. He was sypathetic towards the poor people and advocated state’s rights. afgads