Alexander Hamilton's Impact On The Constitution And Politics

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New York Colony

New York started out as a small, fought-over colony, but it soon became a thriving state. New York also had a very big impact on the Constitution and politics. One of the signers of the Constitution representing the New York colony, Alexander Hamilton, was a “Political Scientist, Government Official, Journalist, Military Leader, Economist, Lawyer” (biography.com), and clerk. He had a very important role in writing and ratifying the Constitution. In 1524, Giovanni Da Verrazano, an Italian navigator, discovered the New York bay while sailing to France. Then, in 1609, Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson river in his ship the Half Moon, but later that year, this river was claimed by Samuel de Champlain for France.
Early on, the …show more content…

Hamilton didn't write much of the Constitution, but he was very involved in the approval process. In a joint effort with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton wrote about 51 out of 85 essays under the title The Federalist Papers. In the essays, he explained and defended the new Constitution before its approval. In 1788, at the New York Ratification Convention, two-thirds of the delegates opposed the Constitution. Hamilton was a powerful defender for the Constitution’s acceptance, effectively arguing against the anti-Federalists. After his efforts, New York agreed to ratify it, and the remaining eight states followed. After leaving his position as an advisor, he went to study law and established a law firm in New York. Then, he served as the first Secretary of Treasury for 6 years, from 1789 to 1795, during the presidency of George Washington. He helped create a national bank, a mint, and the mechanism of national credit. During that time, Hamilton created the Federalist party, which influenced the Federal Government. After serving as the Secretary of Treasury, he went back to practicing law, but he kept being involved in national …show more content…

This strategic and fertile colony motivated a lot of jealousy, greed, and conflict. Alexander Hamilton was an example of the talented and ambitious people who lived there, and he helped to guide the early development of the new republic by encouraging the signers to ratify the Constitution. Hamilton’s legacy went beyond that as well. According to the website AllThingsHamilton.com, “Besides being a ‘Founding Father’ of the US, Alexander Hamilton was a founder in many other areas. He founded the Bank of New-York in 1784. He was a founder of the New York Manumission Society in 1785 to promote the freedom of slaves and proper treatment of free blacks. He guided the establishment of the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures to grow manufacturing in the US.” He also founded the New York Evening Post, which is the oldest running US daily