After a period in charge of a countinghouse on the island of Saint Croix, Hamilton went to
America and studied in Elizabethtown, New Jersey and entered King's College (Columbia)
(1772-74). Hamilton wrote a number of pamphlets during 1774-75 which brought him wide
recognition as a gifted writer. Among these was The Farmer Refuted. He became an artillery
captain taking part in the battles of White Plains, Trenton and Princeton. He was made
aide-de-camp to Washington in 1777 and distinguished himself at the battle of Yorktown.
As a member of the Annapolis convention, he drafted the resolution that led to the
Constitutional Convention and he was a signer of the U.S. Constitution. In order to secure
support for the Constitution, he started, together with John Jay and James Madison, a series of
essays which became part of The Federalist which has become a classic on American constitutional law. In 1789, Hamilton became secretary of the treasury. He returned to law practice in 1795, later to be appointed major general in 1798. In 1800, he
supported Thomas Jefferson against Aaron Burr and again in 1804, was instrumental in the
defeat of Burr as candidate for govenor of New York. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel in
which Hamilton was mortally wounded. |
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