Alexander Hamilton: Biography & Philosophy | StudySmarter

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served in the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for coauthoring The Federalist Papers (1787), which is still used to interpret the U.S. Constitution today.

Alexander Hamilton: Biography

Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis, an island in the British West Indies, and is of French, English, and Scottish descent. He spent most of his childhood with his brother James and his mother, Rachel Faucette. His father, James, abandoned the family while he was still a boy. Impoverished, Rachel moved the family to St. Croix, where she had inherited land from her late father. Running a small shop, she supported the family but ultimately succumbed to yellow fever and died in 1768. Their cousin took in the Hamilton boys, but after committing suicide, they became separated.

The adolescent Alexander Hamilton worked as a clerk for a local trading company. He loved to read and write, as his family owned a small book collection. Hamilton wrote a letter to his father describing a hurricane that struck the town of Christiansted, where he worked, and his desire to leave the island. A private tutor was impressed with Hamilton’s writing ability, and with the help of community fundraising, secured enough money to send Hamilton to the British American colonies.

Hamilton had been denied an education through the Church of England because he was born out of wedlock. While he had a private tutor as a child, his formal education did not begin until he arrived in New York City. He prepared for college by attending the Elizabeth Academy, a preparatory school. He lived with William Livingston, whose pro-revolutionary thinking first introduced Hamilton to the American cause for independence. Hamilton attended King College (now Columbia University) until the American Revolutionary War broke out, and he enlisted in the military.

Fig. 1 – Hamilton grew up poor and emigrated to continental British America.

After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Hamilton joined a volunteer militia. He studied military strategy and proved his acumen after successfully leading a company of sixty men through several battles. For the next four years, he served as a staff aide under General George Washington at his personal request. Hamilton handled intelligence and communication with other senior officers of the Continental Army.

While posted in Morrisburg, New Jersey, Hamilton met his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of General Philip Schuyler. They married on December 14, 1780, and had eight children together. After a successful political career, Hamilton formally resigned from public office in 1795 to be with his family.

Alexander Hamilton: Political Career

Within a few months of returning to civilian life, Hamilton passed the New York Bar as a self-taught lawyer. In 1782, he was appointed to the Confederation of Congress, the legislative and governing body of the newly formed United States. He was critical of the decentralized nature of congress due to the difficulty in securing funds during his military duty in the Revolutionary War.

Fig. 2 – Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton would become bitter rivals.

As a New York Assemblyman, he was appointed as a delegate in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention, a meeting to revise the Articles of Confederation into a new constitution. Hamilton signed for the ratification but was still dissatisfied with the lack of a strong federal government, but he felt it was a major improvement. He campaigned extensively for ratification with The Federalist Papers.

Famous Works of Alexander Hamilton