Alexander Hamilton Research Paper

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Throughout all of his childhood, Alexander Hamilton exemplified characteristics of independence and strong motivation to change the difficult situations around him. Hamilton was born on January 11th, 1757 (some believe that he was born in 1755) in Nevis, British West Indies to James Hamilton and Rachel Fawcett Lavine. His mother, Rachel Fawcett Lavine was married to John Lavine when she committed adultery with a Scottish trader, James Hamilton. When Alexander was only an infant, James Hamilton left his family. This abandonment left Alexander and his mother suffering poverty for most of his early adolescence. School was not a large part of Alexander’s childhood, for his formal education was minimal. After his mother’s death in 1768, Hamilton…show more content…
Upon arrival to America, Hamilton enrolled in King’s College, which is now known as Columbia University, in New York City. Just like many other young newly found Americans, Hamilton was also drawn to the political world. Alexander Hamilton started to lean towards the Patriot’s cause, and in 1774, he wrote his first political article defending them. Hamilton’s passion for politics continued to grow, leading him to leave King’s College to join the Patriots. Alexander Hamilton, continuing to have a small amount of formal education, was yearning to learn hands-on, instead of in the classroom. Even though he dropped out of college, he still had the passion and motivation to become one of America’s founding…show more content…
He joined the New York Provincial Artillery Company, and in 1777 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army. Alexander Hamilton displayed a strong sense of American independence throughout his service as a colonel in the Revolutionary War. Hamilton’s loyalty to the Continental Army was noticed by the popular general, George Washington. Washington and Hamilton would soon become great friends, and Washington hired Hamilton as his trusted adviser and assistant. For many years, Hamilton worked under Washington, both in the office and on the battlefield. For many colonels, generals, and important Patriot leaders, their political careers had diminished after the Revolutionary War; for Alexander Hamilton, his political career was thriving. Hamilton made it a goal of his to defend the Loyalists against the harsh rebels. Having studied laws during the war, Hamilton decided to take on a case called Rutgers v. Waddington, which concerned the rights of Loyalists. This case had to do with Elizabeth Rutgers, who owned a brewery in New York City and was forced to abandon it. This case also formed the judicial review

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