Alexander Hamilton was a man of great importance during the time of the American Revolution. He was one of our founding forefathers, and had become the first Secretary of Treasury from 1789 to 1795. After his death on July 12, 1804 from gunshot wounds as a result of a duel against his rival Aaron Burr, he had left a great impact on the state of our government today, because of his different point of views and accomplishments.
Hamilton had a depressing childhood, but because he had overcome all of his family issues and became successful, he was considered to be a resilient child, which meant that he was strong and flexible mentally, for anything that would or could have happened in his life. There are people who have led their lives in the same direction as Hamilton, by joining law enforcement and becoming part of the military to represent our country. Alexander Hamilton did not live a long life, but he had many great accomplishments that he is known for today.
The following statements will include his childhood, how he had attained his accomplishments, and the modern day version of Him. Hamilton was born circa January 11, 1755 or 1757 (the exact date is unknown), in Charlestown, Nevis in the British West Indies. The exact date is unknown because 1755 is the year Hamilton claimed he was born, although 1757 is the year that some experts believe he was born. As a child, he lived under arduous and depressing conditions.
Hamilton grew up in a family that had been characterized by financial hardship, marital discord and bitter separations, public humiliations, parental death and abandonment. His father, James Hamilton, had abandoned him and his brother at a young age, leaving them with only their unemployed mother, Rachel Fawcett in a strange land. Rachel had grown up with her mother who had taught her to view relationships as impermanent and loveless, which is why she had fled from John Lavien and moved in with James Hamilton.
When she had fled from Lavien, she had abandoned her son Peter. On 1768, their mother had unfortunately died shortly after the abandonment of their father, so the only person that was available to take part as their guardian, was their older cousin, who a year later committed suicide, leaving the brothers alone impoverished, with no resources whatsoever. As he was considered a resilient child, he once said “Real firmness is good for anything; strut is good for nothing. ”
While Hamilton was working as an accounting clerk, his boss, a businessman named Nicholas Cruger, was so impressed by his acumen when it came to accounting, that he and other businessmen worked together to gather their resources with a mister and newspaper editor named Hugh Knox to send Hamilton to America for an efficient education. When he was about 16 years old in 1773, he had finally arrived in New York, where he had enrolled in King’s College, which is now known as Columbia University. Hamilton had his mindset more on political involvement than academics.
In 1774, at the age of seventeen, Hamilton published essays in support of American independence. In school, he felt that since he was a quick learner, and that he was not being challenged enough academically, so he left King’s College before graduating to become part of the military to join forces with the patriots. When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Hamilton became part of the New York Provincial Artillery Company and fought in the battles of Long Island, White Plains and Trenton, until he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army in 1777.
As he served in the fight for American independence, George Washington had noticed his good works, so he made Hamilton his assistant and trusted advisor. Hamilton then continued to improve his writing skills, and wrote Washington’s critical letters, and composed numerous reports on the strategic reform and restructuring of the Continental Army. In 1781, he convinced Washington to let him take action on the battlefield, therefore, with Washington’s permission, Hamilton led a charge against the British in the Battle of Yorktown, victoriously.
As he continued working as advisor of George Washington, he began to believe that the Congress had weaknesses such as jealousy and resentment between the states, which stemmed the Articles of Confederation. Convinced that establishing a strong and sufficient central government was the key to independence for the country, Hamilton left his post as advisor of Washington in 1782. Although, he did not stop there; after he left his position as advisor, he studied law. He established his practice in New York City, in which most of his first clients were unpopular British loyalists who continued to pledge their allegiance to the King of England.
Hamilton defended loyalists against the rebels who had been suing the loyalists for compensation. In 1784, Hamilton took on the Rutgers v. Waddington case, which involved the rights of Loyalists, and was a landmark case for the American justice system, which led to the creation of the judicial review system. In the same year, he assisted in founding the Bank of New York. As he continued to take on more cases, and being a lawyer in general, he was drawn further into politics, as his profession was helping him achieve his political goals.
While serving as a New York delegate in 1787, he met with other delegates in Philadelphia to discuss how to fix the Articles of Confederation, which could not persist in keeping the Union intact. During the meeting, Hamilton explained that a reliable source of revenue would be crucial to developing a more powerful central government. An important thing that Hamilton is known for, is that he heavily influenced the ratification of the Constitution, although he didn’t have a strong hand in writing it.
He wrote 51 of 85 essays under the title The Federalist which was later known as The Federalist Papers. In the essays, he explained and defended the newly drafted Constitution. When George Washington was elected president of the United States in 1789, he designated Hamilton as the first Secretary of Treasury. While Secretary of Treasury, his proposed policies initiated the payment of federal war bonds, and had the federal government assume states’ debts, which instituted a federal system for tax collection and would help the United States establish credit with other nations.
As he once said “It’s not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government. ” Kenneth Anthony Laretto is a modern day version of Hamilton. He is one of many who reflects Hamilton’s image of being part of the military and law enforcement. He fights for the country and helps those in our country. Captain Laretto who graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School in 2002, was just about to finish his clerkship at the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, when he decided to seek commission in the U. S. Marine Corps.
He had said that it was his last chance to join the military before he became too old. He graduated from basic training in Quantico, Virginia, which is where he learned the combat skills required of every Marine. He completed the Basic Lawyer Course at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. Laretto quickly found himself doing all the tasks of a general practice attorney, from wills to divorces and custody cases, for Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. A year later at Al Qa’im, Iraq, him and the rest of the marines went in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
By the time his battalion arrived, most of the heavy combat was over, and their mission was focused more on achieving security and stability. As the command battalion’s judge advocate, Laretto oversaw the detainee facility and ensured that its conditions complied with the Geneva conventions as well as any military order that applied. He adjudicated cases in which locals were seeking damages under the Foreign Claims Act, and also served as the liaison with local judges, assisting in setting up a criminal court. Currently, He’s also getting a graduate degree in national security policy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign
Service, and is looking forward to a long career in national security policy and law, both in the Marines as well as in postmilitary federal government service. A quote from Alexander Hamilton that reflects on this man is, “There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism. ” After Alexander Hamilton returned to his law practice in Manhattan, he had distinguished himself as one of the city’s most prestigious attorneys.
Throughout his law career, Hamilton remained actively involved in public and political affairs and ranked among U. S. presidents’ most sought-after advisors. While some may know who he is specifically from his accomplishments and what they have learned about him, others know who he is from the broadway musical Hamilton which takes place during the American Revolution. Although he is not known to be extremely successful as his political rival, Thomas Jefferson, he is recognized in today’s government, because of his constitutional statesmanship, which remains relevant to us today because the balance on which he insisted is still necess ur own time.