Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury - Research Paper Example

Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury I. Introduction In this section, the major areas of analysis with regard to the life of Alexander Hamilton are introduced. His crucial role as a Founding Father of the nation, economist, political philosopher, and most importantly the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury is presented as a general introduction to him as well as the research paper. II. Early Life: A. Family This section deals with the early life of Alexander Hamilton concerning his family and parents. B. B. Living Area The living are of Alexander Hamilton’s early life is introduced. III. Education and Work An introduction and analysis of the education and work of Alexander Hamilton is taken up in this section. VI. Influence on the U.S. Alexander Hamilton’s crucial role in and influence on the U.S. is revealed through the analysis in this section. V. Conclusion Apart from concluding the paper in general, this section gives a significant hint about why he was forgotten in the history of America. It also gives details about the historical importance of the role played by Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton I. Introduction Alexander Hamilton (1755 –1804), the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, was born a British subject in the British West Indies and he served as lieutenant-colonel and aide-de-camp to George Washington in the Revolutionary army. His crucial role as a Founding Father of the nation, economist, political philosopher, and most importantly the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury confirms his vital contributions to shaping of the republic. A detailed examination of his life and works will essentially draw out how tirelessly and earnestly he fought for the freedom and shaping of the republic in the U.S. It is important to recognize that Alexander Hamilton has been credited for promoting a dynamic national government to create a strong and unified country out of a mixed bag of 13 sovereign states and his contribution as an economist as well as statesman is indubitable. “Alexander Hamilton lived in the most challenging period of American history, when its institutions were being formed and its direction was being determined. He produced a legacy of the strongest government and national economy in the world.” (Murray, 200, p. 1). However, Hamilton’s image in the memory of the American public remains highly overcast and indistinctly negative, due various reasons. In spite of the achievements and contributions he made throughout his life, Hamilton has never been able to capture the hearts of the Americans like other founding members of the republic and he remains as a forgotten founder and statesman of the United States of America. This paper makes a reflective exploration of the life and work of Alexander Hamilton in order to make known the crucial role of this Founding Father of the nation in the shaping of the republic in the U.S. II. Early Life: A. Family As aforementioned, Alexander Hamilton was born in 1755 in the British West Indies, in the remote Leeward Island of Nevis, as the son of James Hamilton, a Scottish merchant of St. Christopher, and Rachael Fawcette Levine, of French Huguenot descent. One of the fundamental factors about the early life of Hamilton is that his birth itself brought controversies as he was born illegitimate under the Danish law. His mother had married a Danish proprietor at her young age and she became ineligible for remarriage when she was granted her divorce from this marriage, under the Danish law. Therefore, Alexander Hamilton was born out of wedlock to his father and mother and the records of his early life are scanty. Similarly, there are debates about the exact year of his birth, whether it was 1757 or 1755. It is also notable that Alexander and his brother James were not eligible for public education due to the illegitimacy of their birth, although Alexander was sent to a Hebrew school for early education. In the year 1768, when he was just eleven years of age, Alexander lost his mother who died of fever. “Business failures resulted the bankruptcy of his father and with the death of his mother, Alexander entered the counting house of Nicholas Cruger and David Beekman, serving as a clerk and apprentice at the age of twelve. By the age of fifteen, Alexander was left in charge of the business. Opportunities for regular schooling were very limited.” (Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury, 2000). Therefore, it is fundamental to realize that Alexander Hamilton had a very difficult and disappointing childhood, although he managed to come out of the shackles of his early life due to his insatiable urge for success in life. Thus, Alexander pursued his studies at a grammar school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, with the support of his friends and later graduated from King’s College, New York, in 1774. B. Living Area Alexander Hamilton spent his early life in the British West Indies as he was born into an illegitimate union on the remote Leeward Island of Nevis in the West Indies. This island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. Significantly, Alexander was born to the settlement of West Indies which was originally established as colonies of European countries such as England, France, and Spain. In his early life, Alexander was left with his mother, abandoned by James Hamilton, and he lived in the Island until the death of Rachael. Upon the death of Rachael, Alexander was taken care of by the family of his boyhood friend Edward Stevens. “While other founding fathers were reared in tidy New England villages or cosseted on baronial Virginia estates, Hamilton grew up in a tropical hellhole of dissipated whites and fractious slaves, all framed by a backdrop of luxuriant natural beauty. On both his maternal and paternal sides, Hamilton’s family clung to the insecure middle rung of West Indian life…” (Chernow, 2004, p. 8). Therefore, one crucial factor about the living area of Alexander Hamilton’s early life is that he was squeezed between the plantation aristocrats above and the street rabble and unruly slaves below in the island of West Indies. III. Education and Work It has already become evident that Alexander Hamilton had an unfortunate early life and was not given proper opportunities of education. Essentially, opportunities for regular schooling were extremely limited to Alexander due to the illegitimacy of his birth, although his mother managed to offer him some early education in a Hebrew school. Another resource of his early education was the library of thirty-four books which he received from his mother’s estate. Later, Alexander was able to pursue his studies at a grammar school in New Jersey and the support of his friends was crucial in this. When his request for permission to complete his studies at a quicker pace was accepted by the King’s College, New York, in 1774, his dream of higher education was fulfilled. “Though not an outstanding school, King’s offered a solid classical curriculum of Greek and Latin literature, rhetoric, geography, history, philosophy, math, and science. Hamilton at once proved himself a student of incomparable energy, racing through his studies with characteristic speed.” (Chernow, 2004, p. 52). During his studies, the Revolution in America started and he decided to take the side of the patriots while still a student. The work of Alexander Hamilton can be realized as a result of gaining maturity in the American Revolutionary War, and the starting of the war gave him a crucial opportunity to work for the patriot cause. He joined the Revolutionary army in 1775 and soon became a leading figure of the Revolution. “On March 14, 1776, 21-year-old Hamilton was made a captain in the Continental Army, the military force formed by the colonies… Hamilton joined the Continental Army during one of his most trying times.” (Haugen, 2006, p. 31). Therefore, the education and work of Alexander Hamilton had essential effect on the American Revolutionary War in which he served as lieutenant-colonel and aide to George Washington. VI. Influence on the U.S. The life of Alexander Hamilton has been closely connected to the American Revolutionary War and the formation of the republic and his influence on the U.S. is twofold: the pen and the sword. He made immense contribution to the liberation of the nation in the American Revolutionary War and he served as lieutenant-colonel and aide-de-camp to George Washington. More importantly, he continued to offer crucial contribution to the republic as a chief Founding Father who led significant political battles and he is known as the leading constitutional reformer, federalist, and the first Secretary of the Treasury. He was the major brain in the shaping of the economy of the young nation and the republic. When the United States established its permanent form of government in the year 1789, the economy of the nation was in bad shape and nearly bankrupt. “America was fortunate to have someone like Alexander Hamilton in public service. He understood the principles of finance and the necessity of a strong economy for the survival of a new nation. More importantly, he was able to put those ideas to work in American government.” (DeCarolis, 2003, p. 6). However, Hamilton’s contribution to the United States counts much more than rescue of its economy and he has been an important federalist and Founding Father of the nation. Apart from being the trusted lieutenant-colonel and aide of George Washington during the American Revolution, Hamilton remained the closest adviser during Washington’s presidency. All through his military career and post-independence role in the government, Hamilton was a chief statesman supporting a strong government in the nation and his efforts led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Through his writings and speeches, Hamilton explained and interpreted the Constitution in order to make it easy for the new government to enforce. “Were it not for Hamilton and his supporters, the small, troubled nation that emerged from the American Revolution might have fallen into ruin.” (DeCarolis, 2003, p. 6). Therefore, the role of Alexander Hamilton as a Founding Father of the nation, economist, political philosopher, and most importantly the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury summarizes the influence of this great statesman to the United States of America. V. Conclusion A profound investigation of the life and work of Alexander Hamilton in relation to the American Revolution and the establishment of the Federal Republic maintains that he has been a crucial figure in the history of the United States. Although his image never reached a mass acceptance in the minds of the Americans, as did those of Washington’s or Jefferson’s, it is fundamental to realize that Hamilton remains as a crucial forgotten Founding Father and statesman of the United States. As Ian Finseth maintains, “during the periods when he was in ascendancy, his reputation stayed essentially one-dimensional: the clear-headed economic wizard with a suspiciously positive attitude toward Britain. The complexities of his public career made it possible for opponents to paint him in stereotyped ways, while simultaneously hindering the public from forming an emotional bond with him.” (Finseth). Therefore, he has been a lonely and forgotten Founding Father of the nation who failed to make his image as a figure of public adulation. References “Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury.” (2000). Evisum Inc. Retrieved 27 March 2011, from http://www.alexanderhamilton.org/ Chernow, Ron. (2004). Alexander Hamilton. New York: Penguin. p. 8. DeCarolis, Lisa. (2003). Alexander Hamilton: Federalist and Founding Father. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 6. Finseth, Ian. “The Rise and Fall of Alexander Hamilton.” Retrieved 27 March 2011, fro http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/ham/hamconc.htmls Haugen, Brenda. (2006). Alexander Hamilton: Founding Father and Statesman. Compass Point Books. p. 31. Murray, Joseph A. (2007). Alexander Hamilton: America’s Forgotten Founder. Algora Publishing. p. 1. Read More