James Hamilton Research Paper

1116 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Alexander hamilton impact on the united states

Hamilton was born in Nevis, British West Indies (Caribbean Islands) on January 11, 1755 or 1757 The exact date is unknown. His parents were Rachel Fawcett, a British and French Huguenot descent, and James Hamilton, a Scottish trader. His mother Rachel was married to John Lavien. They had a son, Peter. Lavien was a abusive and nearly spent all the money Rachel had inherited from her father who died in 1745 He had her imprisoned for several months for adultery. Once she was released she left behind her terrible marriage and son. She moved to St. Kitts There she met James, and had another son in 1753. Once Alexander was born James Sr. abandoned the family leaving Rachel and her sons to impoverished. Hamilton took his first job at eleven. Him and …show more content…

Being a lawyer dres Hamilton further into politics. After serving as secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795, he returned to law in Manhattan, distinguishing himself as one of the city’s most prestigious attorneys. Throughout his law career Hamilton stayed involved in public and political affairs. Hamilton’s political agenda entailed establishing a strong federal government under a new constitution. 1787, while serving as a New York delegant, he met in Philadelphia with other delegates to discuss to fix the Articles of Confederation. Hamilton collaborated with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton wrote fifty one of eight five essays under the collective title The Federalist. 1788, at the New York Ratification Convention in Poughkeepsie, where two-thirds of the delegates opposed the constitution. Hamilton effectively argued against the anti-Federalist sentiment. His efforts succeeded when New York and eight other states agreed to ratify. 1789, Hamilton was appointed as the first secretary of the treasury by President Washington. At this time the nation was facing a huge debt from the revolution. Hamilton stepped down from his position in 1795. Hamilton married Elizabeth “Eliza”

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Alexander Hamilton's First Report On Public Credit

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a result of the millions of dollars in war debt that the United States faced, Hamilton was requested by Congress to present this report to the House of Representatives. As mentioned, Hamilton 's position was the Secretary of the Treasury; he was ultimately responsible for evaluating the nation 's economic state and making any recommendations necessary for improvement. With the nation in a financial crisis, Hamilton 's report was crucial to Congress. Thomas Jefferson was the author of “Thomas Jefferson on the Federalists, 1790”. His journal entry was clearly sparked by the issue of the Federalists promoting a monarchical government, but also a form of self-expression. Seemingly, Jefferson uses his personal writings not only to respond to ongoing problems in the newfound nation, but as a method to release his anger and frustration, much like any individual would in their private

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton's The Federalist Paper No. 68

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    During 1788, Alexander Hamilton was one of the three authors of the Federalist Papers in addition to being a Lawyer in the state of New York. The Federalist Papers are known for being an imperative source of understanding in regards to the original Constitution.

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton: 7 Fun Facts Of Alexander Hamilton

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton: Strong Central Government

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist. A federalist is Supporter of the Constitution during the debate over its ratification; someone who favored a strong central government. Hamilton believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution. This means that he believed that the Constitution was a set of guidelines that did not need to be followed strictly. Hamilton wanted to expand the economy and increase the nation's wealth by using the power of the federal government to promote

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Jefferson Vs. Hamilton

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the initial stages of independence, the United States was still a weak and vulnerable country. Thus, it was necessary to implement plans that not only had the goal of a bright future, but would help the United States survive to that point. Due to the countries weak state, and his influential position atop the United States treasury, Hamilton was able to implement most of his economic policies. The biggest of which were his consolidation of international and domestic debt and creating a national bank. Republics were seen as weak back then, they very rarely succeeded and the U.S. was already in a vulnerable state because of the revolutionary war. Hamilton’s national bank and centralized government was a good idea in this aspect because it not only would create a sense of unification and power among the U.S. but it also put foreign debts first, which was

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton: Triumph and Tragedies

    3968 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Alexander Hamilton And Aaron Burr

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11th in 1755 or 1757 (the exact date is unknown) on the

    Read More

  • Hamilton And The Economy

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    Alexander Hamilton was born an illegitimate child in 1755 in the West Indies to a financially struggling family (Alexander Hamilton, n.d., para. 2). He did not receive his formal education until he was sponsored by family friends who were impressed by his ambition. He chose a military career and served as George Washington’s secretary and aid. After the revolutionary war, he became a lawyer, served Congress, and founded the Bank of New York. He was also the first secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton had no faith in common people and wanted to control them, “In the general course of human nature, a power over a man's subsistence amounts to a power over his will” (brainquote.com, 2011, p.1).

    Read More

  • Federalist Alexander Hamilton

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Burr Conspiracy

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton And John Marshall And Alexander Hamilton

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thus, there is no wonder that the relationship between Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall was very good and with Hamilton still survived and even became president in later years the power John Marshall could have obtained might be greater. On the other hands, Hamilton was also known for many wrongdoings and his belief in somewhat a monarchy. For example, Hamilton was involved in a sex affair with a young Philadelphia woman named Maria Reynolds, which would result in a huge loss of reputation (“5 Things You Didn’t Know About Alexander Hamilton”). In short, even when Hamilton was then applauded for his honesty in telling the truth, the fact that the Secretary of Treasury paid the blackmail money as well as committed adultery were intolerable for many people at the time. Also, his idea in wanting a strong national bank as well as no limitation in presidency term were not favorable among many of the Founding Fathers, including James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. In addition, Alexander Hamilton was a man who did not intend to kill his rival enemy in a duel, which put him at risk of losing his life. According to Nathaniel Pendleton, a lawyer and a judge in the United States as well as a

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Alexander Hamilton

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    Subsequently following the ratification of the constitution, two leading groups formed; the Federalists and the Antifederalists, each believing in exact opposite interpretations of the Constitution. The Federalist Party was headed by the newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, who thought the interpretation of the Constitution should be very loose. Hamilton believed the Constitution encompassed powers other than those authorized or enumerated. These hidden powers, claimed Hamilton, were implied powers. Hamilton stated it would be essential that the federal government should gain control over any later added account to the nation. Significantly, Hamilton aspired to put these implied powers to use in requisition to build a powerful and domineering central government.

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

More about James Hamilton Research Paper

Open Document