Alexander Hamilton never achieved the highest position in office, but he was a few of America's Founding Fathers. He first joined the army during the Revolution and became an aide for George Washington. Hamilton quickly moved up in society. Political parties began to form during the struggle over ratification of the Federal Constitution of 1787. The attention changed for the creation of a new Federal Government to the question of how powerful the Federal Government would be. Led by the Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, really wanted a strong central government. Alexander Hamilton's view on human nature was shaped by his war experiences. People had their own hobbies, interests, and money put above patriotism and of the country. Another role that Hamilton played in establishing the U.S. Government was that he really depended on the United States developing a strong economy. In all, there were three roles Alexander Hamilton used in establishing the U.S Government which were forming a strong central government, his view on human nature, and developing a strong economy. A big role for Alexander Hamilton in establishing the U.S. Government was that he wanted to develop a strong central government. Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist and he believed that this country should be governed by the most educated, wealthy, and publicly known men. He wanted people that had the time and background to run this country professionally. “ Federalists favored
Hamilton married a young lady by the name of Elizabeth Schuyler; she was the daughter of a general. This put Alexander Hamilton in the middle of New York’s politics. In 1782, Hamilton was elected to the Continental Congress. As Alexander Hamilton’s political career began to get under way, things seem to be going as planned. He played a major role in the constitution. He was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote most of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. He was perhaps the best lawyer in America at the time of his death and his views were remarkably consistent and coherent. He also had a clear vision of the new nation and believed that it could learn much from British economic policy and governmental practice.
George Washington had recognized Hamilton’s leadership abilities and promoted him as Lieutenant Colonel. He was also an innovator of military design, where he designed reports on the defects and how there could be improvement in the military. While Hamilton was working as an adviser for Washington, Hamilton had come to realize the Congress' weaknesses, including jealousy between states, which he believed came from the Articles of Confederation (http://www.ushistory.org/). In 1782, Hamilton was convinced that establishing a strong central government was the key to achieving America’s independence.
During the Revolutionary War, he served as General Washington’s right hand man, writing Congress for supplies and convincing more people to help with the war effort. At the time he was only twenty-two. After the war he went back to New York and practiced law, quickly rising in status and influence. As it was decided that this country could not be sustained under the Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress was formed, to which Hamilton was elected the New York junior delegate. “In 1786 he played the leading role in the convention at Annapolis, which prepared the way for the great Constitutional Convention that met at Philadelphia in 1787” (Rodger). His ideas and words were powerful among the framers of the Constitution. Even after the Constitution was written people were not sure if this document truly created the government they wanted. Without Hamilton’s brilliant turn of phrase, the US Constitution as we know it may never have been ratified. Hamilton led James Madison and John Jay in writing the Federalist papers defending the document to the public, writing fifty-one of the eighty-five essays himself. “He [was also] leader of the Federalist Party until his death,” a party that was created to form the style of government that still rules this country today; a system
Did Alexander Hamilton play as important a role in our founding as history portrays? This short paper on Alexander Hamilton will outline his importance in the journey of the United States of America to become a free country and will also show the various ways he made this country successful by pioneering the formation of the American government.
Hamilton wanted us to start to push our own goods. Industrialization was essential in his views. (Farless) He believed that a strong government would provide a good business that would allow industries to grow. He established a National Bank and funded the National Debt so that the United States would have a national credit that would standardize a national currency. Hamilton argued that the bank would provide stability to the specie-starved American economy by making loans to merchants, handling government funds, and issuing bills of credit; much as the
The Federalist Party was mostly made up of well-educated people such as merchants, bankers and manufacturers. According to historian Eric Foner, Hamilton’s “long term goal was to make the United States a major commercial and military power,” Hamilton used Great Britain as a model of economic development, and greatly stressed the importance of government aid in manufacturing, trade, and commerce. As stated by Foner, “Hamilton’s program called for the creation of a Bank of the United States, modeled on the Bank of England, to serve as the nation’s main financial agent.” His plan was to create a private back with the goal of creating a common currency. Lastly, Hamilton and the Federalists distrusted the common people and believed that they were ignorant and incapable of self-rule. Therefore, a strong central
Alexander Hamilton was one of the most influential figures to shape American finances. He made his contribution through the The Hamiltonian Economic Program. The goal of his plan is to improve the American economy through three steps. The first is to pay off the nation’s national debt in order for states to focus on business. This way maximum profit can be achieved. The second step is to place tariffs on imported goods to gain money. Lastly is to create a national bank in order to regulate money flow and currency. However, Thomas Jefferson strongly disagreed with Alexander Hamilton’s views which was evidently seen in the political parties, the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists. One of the main differences between the two is regarding the type of government America would have. Hamilton favored a strong federal government while Jefferson favored a small local government.
Before the Revolutionary War had occurred, many people were coming to the new colonies to start a new life; one of the people was Alexander Hamilton. He had come to the colonies after impressing people in the Caribbean and who then sent him to America to get a better education (“Alexander Hamilton”). Hamilton was an important figure in American history, but very few today remember who he was and what he did. Alexander Hamilton took a stand against traditional government by writing against and battling the British, fighting for the new U.S. Treasury, and arguing for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
In the beginning, The Articles of Confederation ruined all sense of a strong central government in the Colonies. The Articles of Confederation gave power to the states to govern themselves, and as we later learned, the idea to give power to the states to govern themselves individually was a very weak idea. Most people who didn’t own land, also known as freeloaders, didn’t have much or any say at all in the government. We needed change, and we needed it quickly. This is where, Alexander Hamilton, comes into play. Not only did he understand that a strong central government was crucial for a nation to succeed, but he had also understood that speaking out about his beliefs were just as important. His assertive and outgoing personality about his beliefs consequently helped him play a key role in the early form of the government.
Hamilton controlled the Federalist for twelve years. During that time, Hamilton thought the government should consist of wealthy men. These men would be capable of having a strong, stable, and independent economy. Hamilton had problems with the Republicans when he got the Congress to pass his plans on opening up a National Bank. This bank was to have a safe place to put their money, provide loans for businesses and the collection of taxes. Thomas Jefferson believed that Hamilton and his Federalist group were corrupted, because Hamilton was using his power and causing problems for the
Alexander Hamilton was one of the founding fathers of the United States. Hamilton originally arrived in New York in 1773, having been sent there for an education. These early days helped shaped Hamilton’s political views as he was drawn less towards his studies and more towards politics. At the time he arrived in New York, the American Colonies were on the brink of a revolution. His main political and economic goals centered on having a strong central government. Hamilton used both writing and political sway to attempt to achieve this goal.
Hamilton was a Federalist who believed in a strong, central government with a national bank. He also wanted to make alliances with Britain (Davis 86).
In the years following the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had a number of conflicting philosophies on how best to run the young nation. Most important of all was determining the role and responsibilities of the federal government. Hamilton, a Federalist, was an advocate of a strong national government controlled by the wealthy with the power to tax and regulate commerce; Jefferson, who grew up on a Virginia plantation, championed states' rights and a laissez-faire policy, placing faith in the common people to shape the future of America.
Alexander Hamilton, though, worked for a more complex economic system. He planned out a national debt, public credit, a national bank and a plan to pay off the debts the nation had accrued. He advocated to accept the old debts of the Articles of Confederation, war debts, and state debts under his economic policy because it gives the government some legitimacy, and it allows for the government to obtain credit from other countries easily.
Alexander Hamilton, recognized as one of the Founding Fathers of our country, had a great impact on the wars and political issues of his time. He presented himself as a well respected man and proved himself worthy of the tasks he was given. He impressed many people and played a substantial part in influencing where America stands today. Although his early childhood circumstances were difficult, putting him at a disadvantage, Alexander proved himself capable of achieving success all on his own, without the need of others’ assistance or provision. His efforts ultimately played a significant role in the founding of America.