Alexander Hamilton
American Founding Father (1755 or 1757–1804); first US treasury secretary; wrote 51 of the Federalist essays.
At a glance
Main ideas
An energetic central government, Implied powers, Public credit …
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A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress, The Federalist Papers, Report on Public Credit …
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Hamilton was an American military officer, statesman and Founding Father, born out of wedlock on the Caribbean island of Nevis.
- He served as George Washington's aide-de-camp in the Revolutionary War and was a delegate to the convention that drafted the Constitution.
- He wrote 51 of the 85 Federalist essays urging its ratification.
- As the first secretary of the treasury, from 1789 to 1795, he created the First Bank of the United States.
- He died after a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
Why it matters
- His ideas are credited with shaping the founding principles of American finance and government, and his Federalist essays are still read as a guide to the Constitution's intent.
Key facts
- Born
- 11 Jan 1755 or 11 Jan 1757, Charlestown, Nevis1
- Died
- 12 Jul 1804, Greenwich Village, New York, the day after being shot in a duel with Aaron Burr at Weehawken, New Jersey1
- Education
- King's College (now Columbia University), New York City1
- Revolutionary War
- Artillery officer; four years as aide-de-camp to George Washington; fought at the Siege of Yorktown1
- Secretary of the treasury
- The first, from 1789 to 1795, under Washington1
- Founded
- The Bank of New York; the Federalist Party (1789); the US Revenue Cutter Service (1790)1
- Slavery
- A founder of the New York Manumission Society in 1785; whether he owned slaves himself has never been settled1
- Reynolds affair
- In 1797 he became the first major American politician publicly involved in a sex scandal, over an affair from 1791 to 17921
Main ideas
-
An energetic central government1
He envisioned a central government led by an energetic executive, with a strong national defense.
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Implied powers1
He argued the Constitution's implied powers allowed Congress to create a national bank.
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Public credit1
The federal government should assume the states' war debts, funded by a tariff on imports and a whiskey tax.
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Industry, not only farms1
In his Report on Manufactures he argued for a more diversified economy and rejected Adam Smith's government noninterference.
Books to start with
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Connections
Links
Sources
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