Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (1755 - 1804) is considered one of America's founding fathers. He is an important literary figure, with the publication of The Federalist Papers (1788) and his letters.
- Alexander Hamilton: HistoryBorn into obscurity in the British West Indies, Alexander Hamilton made his reputation during the Revolutionary War and became one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers.
- Alexander Hamilton: Mount VernonAlexander Hamilton was a founding father of the United States, who fought in the American Revolutionary War, helped draft the Constitution, and served as the first secretary of the treasury. He was the founder and chief architect of the American financial system.
Research & Reference
- Alexander Hamilton: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on Alexander Hamilton. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.
- Alexander Hamilton Papers: Library of CongressThe papers of Alexander Hamilton (ca. 1757-1804), first treasury secretary of the United States, consist of his personal and public correspondence, drafts of his writings (although not his Federalist essays), and correspondence among members of the Hamilton and Schuyler families. The collection, consisting of approximately 12,000 items dating from 1708 to 1917, documents Hamilton's impoverished Caribbean boyhood (scantily); events in the lives of his family and that of his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton; his experience as a Revolutionary War officer and aide-de-camp to General George Washington; his terms as a New York delegate to the Continental Congress (1782-1783) and the Constitutional Convention (1787); and his careers as a New York state legislator, United States treasury secretary (1789-1795), political writer, and lawyer in private practice. Most of the papers date from 1777 until Hamilton's death in 1804. Additional details may be found in the collection's finding aid (HTML and PDF versions).
- Hamilton, Alexander: American National BiographyAmerican National Biography of Alexander Hamilton.
- The Papers of Alexander Hamilton: National ArchivesA comprehensive edition of the papers of Alexander Hamilton (1755 - 1804), one of the founders of the United States of America. Hamilton was one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the Constitution, the founder of the nation's financial system, and the founder of the first American political party. He co-wrote the Federalist papers. As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the primary author of the economic policies of the George Washington administration, especially the funding of the state debts by the Federal government, the establishment of a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. Hamilton served in the American Revolutionary War as senior aide-de-camp and confidant to General George Washington, the American commander-in-chief. The collection includes correspondence, speeches and writings, legal and financial papers, printed matter, and other papers, chiefly from 1777 to 1804.
Alexander Hamilton's Papers
Chief Justice John Marshall would call the Federalist Papers the "complete commentary on our constitution." Here, Professor Guelzo explains the daring act of aggression these landmark political writings were, and outlines the six themes Hamilton (under the pseudonym "Publius") believed would demonstrate the indispensability of the new constitution.
Source: Kanopy
Author's Works & Perspectives
The Federalist Papers
Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence there was a vigorous debate in the American colonies on the form of government that should be then established. A Constitutional Convention was convened between May 25th and September 17th, 1787. A principal point in the debate at the convention was as to how much power should be granted to the federal government versus the states. In response to what would come out of this convention a number of “anti-federalist” essays began to proliferate in the press. In order to combat the objections to the new Constitution, Alexander Hamilton organized an effort to write and publish a series of essays that would “endeavor to give a satisfactory answer to all the objections”. This series of essays, which first appeared in three New York newspapers, “The Independent Journal”, the “New-York Packet”, and the “Daily Advertiser”, would come to be known as “The Federalist Papers”. Although the essays were published anonymously, it is believed that Alexander Hamilton wrote the majority of them with James Madison and John Jay contributing the rest. The influence of “The Federalist Papers” on modern democracy cannot be overstated and to this day these writings stand as some of the most important documents regarding the constitutional history of the United States of America. This edition includes introductions by Edward Gaylord Bourne and Goldwin Smith and a biographical afterword of Alexander Hamilton.
Alexander Hamilton
The #1 New York Times bestseller, and the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton! Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation. "Grand-scale biography at its best--thorough, insightful, consistently fair, and superbly written . . . A genuinely great book." --David McCullough "A robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all." --Joseph Ellis Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow's biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today's America is the result of Hamilton's countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. "To repudiate his legacy," Chernow writes, "is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world." Chernow here recounts Hamilton's turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington's aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.Historians have long told the story of America's birth as the triumph of Jefferson's democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we've encountered before--from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton's famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804. Chernow's biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America's birth seen through its most central figure. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans. 9780143034759
The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification Vol. 1
Here, on a scale unmatched by any previous collection, is the extraordinary energy and eloquence of our first national political campaign- During the secret proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the framers created a fundamentally new national plan to replace the Articles of Confederation and then submitted it to conventions in each state for ratification. Immediately, a fierce storm of argument broke. Federalist supporters, Antifederalist opponents, and seekers of a middle ground strove to balance public order and personal liberty as they praised, condemned, challenged, and analyzed the new Constitution Gathering hundreds of original texts by Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, Washington, and Patrick Henry-as well as many others less well known today-this unrivaled collection allows readers to experience firsthand the intense year-long struggle that created what remains the world's oldest working national charter. Assembled here in chronological order are hundreds of newspaper articles, pamphlets, speeches, and private letters written or delivered in the aftermath of the Constitutional Convention. Along with familiar figures like Franklin, Madison, Patrick Henry, Jefferson, and Washington, scores of less famous citizens are represented, all speaking clearly and passionately about government. The most famous writings of the ratification struggle - the Federalist essays of Hamilton and Madison - are placed in their original context, alongside the arguments of able antagonists, such as "Brutus" and the "Federal Farmer."
Alexander Hamilton - Author of The Federalist Papers & First Secretary of Treasury
Watch a short biography video of Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury who was shot by Aaron Burr during a duel.