Biography of Alexander Hamilton
explanatory Essay
585 words
Alexander Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis of the British West Indies January eleventh in 1757. He lived with his brother and a single mother. In 1772, Hamilton moved to the United states. He entered the Continental Army in 1776 as the captain of artillery while in New York where he also studied law at King’s College. He was married to Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780. Elizabeth was from a wealthy land holding family, this helped Alexander hold ties to rich and powerful leaders in New York. Alexander Hamilton died in 1804 on July 12. Aaron Burr was the man who killed him in a duel because Mr. Hamilton help Thomas Jefferson win the election for becoming the 3rd president of the United States.
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.
Alexander was also requested to create a national currency system. He proposed to the Bank of the United States that a central bank would help the new nation's economic change through a more secure paper currency. By the end, with support from the president, the bank was leased with its first command post in P...
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...tes would never be seen as a stable and reliable nation. To pay off the debts Hamilton designed to raise taxes throughout the country. And when the capital moved from Philadelphia to New York City, Hamilton offered to convince Congress and the President to move the capitol south to an appointed area near Virginia now known as District of Columbia.
Works Cited
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Ron Chernow, n.d. Web. 16
Feb. 2014.
U.S. History. Independence Hall Association of Philadelphia, n.d. Web. 16 Feb.
2014. .
US History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. brandywine/special/art08.htm>. Spark Notes. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
biography/hamilton/section7.rhtml>.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that alexander hamilton was born on the island of nevis in 1757, lived with his brother and a single mother, and moved to the united states.
- Explains that hamilton was president washington's secretary of the treasury in the cabinet in 1789-1795. the first task he took care of was the problem of public credit.
- Explains that alexander proposed to the bank of the united states that a central bank would help the new nation's economic change through more secure paper currency. his third major duty was to make american manufacturers' self-supported.
- Explains that alexander hamilton was a continental army officer and served george washington during the revolutionary war. he stood up for the american congress and continued to write in defense of american rights throughout the war.
- Explains how hamilton, as a congressman, convinced george washington to accept his nomination to become the first president of the united states under the new constitution.
- Cites biographical directory of the united states congress. ron chernow, n.d. web. 16 feb.
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- Explains that george washington set many precedents while he was under office, such as appointing jefferson as secretary of state, hamilton as treasury secretary, and knox as war secretary.
- Explains that the louisiana purchase conflicted with jefferson's interpretation of the constitution because it never stated the rules of buying land. jefferson bought the land because america would double in size.
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- Explains that the election of 1800 was a super important election because it was the first time that two candidates tied in the presidential election. hamilton convinced the house to pick jefferson for the greater good.
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