Alexander Hamilton Political Influences

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Alexander Hamilton became famous recently due to a man named Lin Manuel Miranda who made a musical about Alexander Hamilton. But there is more to Alex than what is told in the musical. Alexander's life and political career still influence us today. Alexander Hamilton was born January 11, 1757 on St.Croix, a British island in the Caribbean. Hamilton became an orphan at an early age due to his father abandoning the family and divorcing his mother. A few years later she died. A few years later after a hurricane came and destroyed the town where Hamilton lived. He wrote a paper about the hurricane and published it, people read it and sent him money to get an education. Alexander Hamilton did not apply for colleges when he first got to America.While …show more content…

He was a political statesman who often disparaged (regard or represent as being of little worth). His greatest contribution to American political thought may be his concept of constitutional government. Hamilton’s Federalist essays and other writings and speeches encompass (surround) a theory of politics. Hamilton’s contribution to American political thought is significant. He ranks as an equal to men like Jefferson,Franklin, Madison, and Adams. Who have received more sympathetic treatment from historians and political theorists (Federici).
Hamilton lost his political influence after he cheated on his wife with Maria Reynolds while his wife and children were at Elizabeth's parents house for the summer. He was charged with improper speculation after Maria and her husband James extorted Hamilton for money to keep them from telling everyone about the affair. He then wrote a paper about it and published it, in the paper he …show more content…

Hamilton was already a force in New York state politics when Burr came along. The men became rivals when Burr ran for the U.S. senate against Hamilton’s father-in-law, Philip Schuyler in 1791. The election of 1800 was one of the first early national elections with political parties, and in a twist of fate, running mates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the electoral college voting. Hamilton then worked behind the scenes to defeat Burr in the house run off election. After the 1800 election, Hamilton didn’t let the feud with Burr drop. Jefferson also ignored Burr as his Vice President, and he made it clear that under new election rules, there was no way Burr was going on the 1804 ticket. Hamilton then worked to defeat Burr’s attempt to become Governor of New York. Burr was effectively out of political power even though he was the vice president of the United States. The final straw for Burr was the publication of a letter in a newspaper that said Hamilton demeaned Burr’s character. Burr demanded Hamilton apologized for the insults or an explanation. Hamilton stayed quiet so Burr demanded a duel. Duels were common and both men had experience with them. In 1799, Burr dueled against Hamilton’s brother-in-law, John Church. This time, Burr and Hamilton met on the same spot in Weehawken, New Jersey where