About
Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) — born out of wedlock in the Caribbean island of Nevis, orphaned by 13 — rose through intellect and ambition to become Washington's chief aide-de-camp, primary author of the Federalist Papers (52 of 85 essays explaining and defending the Constitution), the first Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795), and the architect of the American financial system. Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton introduced him to a new generation as the most relevant Founding Father for the modern era.
Hamilton's financial innovations: the Bank of the United States (the first central bank, establishing the dollar); federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debts (his boldest political maneuver, trading to Jefferson the location of the new capital — Washington DC — for Southern votes); and the Report on Manufactures (advocating industrial policy and protective tariffs, a blueprint for American economic development). His rivalry with Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton favoring federal power, manufacturing, and a strong executive; Jefferson favoring states' rights, agriculture, and limited government) defined American political conflict for 200 years. Aaron Burr killed Hamilton in a duel at Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804.
# Top 10 Hamilton facts
- 1Caribbean immigrant origin
- 2Washington's aide-de-camp
- 3Federalist Papers (52 essays)
- 4first Secretary of the Treasury
- 5Bank of the United States
- 6federal debt assumption (capital deal)
- 7Hamilton vs. Jefferson rivalry
- 8Aaron Burr duel (1804)
- 9Hamilton on the $10 bill
- 10Lin-Manuel Miranda musical
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Hamilton wrote 51 of the 85 Federalist Papers in 6 months — often writing multiple essays per week while simultaneously practicing law and serving in government — producing the most important analysis of the US Constitution ever written at a pace of concentrated intellectual output unmatched in American political history
- ◆Hamilton's deal with Jefferson at a famous 'Dinner Table Bargain' (1790) exchanged Virginia's votes for federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debts for the location of the new federal capital on the Potomac — Hamilton wanted the financial deal, Jefferson wanted Washington DC near Virginia, and both got what they needed
- ◆Aaron Burr was the sitting Vice President of the United States when he shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in their July 11, 1804 duel — he was indicted for murder in both New York and New Jersey, finished his term as VP, and was never tried; Hamilton had insulted him at a dinner party, and the insult had been published in a newspaper
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