The Accomplishments Of Alexander Hamilton

The orphan from an island in the middle of the Caribbean who came to America alone. The young boy who wrote his way out of every tough situation. The man who was given many chances to write during his service in the war, but consistently insisted that he should fight, not write. One of the Founding Fathers of America, who created America’s financial system single-handedly. Alexander Hamilton is an important figure who did not get enough credit for his achievements until recently, when Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a Broadway musical about his life. Hamilton achieved greatness despite coming from nothing, which is something every American can do as long as you “do not throw away your shot” (Miranda, Lin-Manuel). Alexander Hamilton’s early life
was filled with many struggles. He was born in Charlestown, Nevis in 1757 to James Hamilton and Rachel Fawcett, who remarried here due to it being illegal to remarry elsewhere (“Biography of Alexander Hamilton”). After ten years, his father left them to their own devices in the West Indies, leaving Alexander, his brother, and Ms. Fawcett to rely on Hamilton’s family. In 1768 his mother passed away during an outbreak of the yellow fever, which left him essentially orphaned (“Timeline: Alexander Hamilton Chronology”). His brother, James, and him were not officially orphaned until the year 1799, when their father passed away. His informal education came from his mother and from working as a clergyman on the island (“Biography of Alexander Hamilton”). The people of his island gathered up enough money to send Hamilton to America to receive a formal education. He discontinued his studies at Kings College in 1775 to join the New York State provincial militia because he believed this would help him achieve greatness, which turned out to be very true (“Timeline: Alexander Hamilton Chronology”). Alexander Hamilton was great at writing.
He was also a soldier in the war against Britain. Hamilton became captain of the First Battalion in the Fifth Field Artillery Unit (“Timeline: Alexander Hamilton Chronology”). His skills on the battlefield attracted the attention of General George Washington and Hamilton became his right hand man, helping with winning the war. Being friends with George Washington lead to him being appointed to the Treasury Department during Washington’s presidency. He made a famous deal to put the National Bank in New York City, while allowing for the nation’s capital to be near Virginia (Miranda, Lin-Manuel). In 1787, he wrote the Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay, which were a series of essays that were anonymously published to defend the Constitution. They had planned to write twenty-five, but ended up writing a total of eighty-five essays in six months. Hamilton wrote fifty-one of these essays on his own (“Timeline: Alexander Hamilton Chronology”). Washington resigned from his presidency later on in order to set the nation up for a better future where one person would not be able to be in power for too long. Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780 because the Schuyler family was a common symbol of wealth and power. During his marriage to Elizabeth, he had an affair with one Maria Reynolds and her husband would consent to this if Hamilton paid him quarterly. Hamilton agreed and used money he embezzled from the government.
Eventually, certain government figures found out about the money that he embezzled, but Alexander wrote his way out of this by releasing the Reynolds Pamphlet (Miranda, Lin-Manuel). The Reynolds Pamphlet talked about how he was not a bad person for taking money, but rather, for cheating on his wife. In 1801, his son, Philip was killed in a duel, causing Alexander to move further into isolation (Miranda, Lin-Manuel). Alexander Hamilton wrote his way to the top, but also to the bottom, which allowed him to continue to be very powerful. During the election of 1800, the people of the United States wanted to know who he was voting for. His friend Aaron Burr was running against Thomas Jefferson in this election, but Hamilton endorsed Jefferson. He died in a duel when Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s Vice President, shot him as Hamilton aimed his gun at the sky (Miranda, Lin-Manuel). Alexander Hamilton stood up for his beliefs even when he died. Despite having made some bad decisions, his wife still made sure his story was told. He achieved the American dream of power, influencing the country into electing Jefferson, and continuing to influence America’s financial system (Wright, Robert K., Jr., and Morris J. MacGregor, Jr.). It is safe to say that the majority of Americans want power in order to influence people to follow their particular beliefs.
People think that the world is against them, always knocking them down despite all of their hard work. If one believes that it is someone or something else’s fault that he/she has not achieved the American dream, then he/she will not achieve the American dream. One has to realize that people will knock him/her down, but if he/she does not choose to try harder than before, it is only his/her fault that he/she did not achieve the American dream. Social inequalities do not bring a person down unless that person chooses to let them do
so. Alexander Hamilton is just one example of someone coming from the bottom and achieving the American dream despite all of the social inequalities he/she encounters. He was an orphan, an immigrant, and his beliefs were not very common, but he kept working hard and surviving despite everything life threw at him. He chose his friends wisely and was always meticulous about the things he did. Even when he did something wrong, such as his affair, he was honest about what he had done. He did not let his bad decisions or other people’s prejudices hold him back from achieving greatness. All in all, Alexander Hamilton was a great person who encountered many struggles throughout his short life. If one looks at how he achieved greatness, he/she will realize that it is, indeed, possible for everyone to achieve the American dream. However, if one does not try his/her absolute hardest, he/she will not be powerful. Power is achieved through a great amount of confidence and not listening to what others believe one will do with his/her life. The American dream is something that is attainable, if only one is willing to make the necessary sacrifices.