Colleen Dudley, age 14, of Watertown, N.Y., for her question:
HOW DOES ALEXANDER HAMILTON FIT INTO HISTORY?
Alexander Hamilton is one of our Founding Fathers. He will be remembered as the first secretary of the United States Treasury, and one of the best ever to fill that important job.
Hamilton also had great influence in other governmental departments during the early days of the nation. He was a close personal friend of George Washington.
In one way Hamilton's reputation was flawed. He did not feel strongly that the new nation should have democracy. He wanted to see the President and senators hold office for life and have representatives that would be elected only for short terms. However, he accepted the fact that the American people wouldn't want to see this idea put into the new Constitution.
Hamilton was an early supporter of the colonies in their arguments with England. He wrote some powerful pamphlets and letters defending the rights of the colonists.
When the Revolutionary War started, Hamilton organized a company of soldiers and was praised for his bravery. Then Washington selected Hamilton to be his private secretary, and gave him the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After the war was over, Hamilton married a young lady named Elizabeth Schuyler, a member of a distinguished New York family. He also became a lawyer and took a very active part in organizing the government of the new United States.
When the Constitutional Convention met in 1787, Hamilton argued for a Constitution that would create a strong federal government. As he supported this idea, he wrote most of the pamphlets that were published as the "Federalist Papers," an important statement on the principles of government.
As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton laid the foundation of a financial and administrative system that won respect for America. He arranged for the payment of the national debt and started a national bank.
Hamilton was born in the West Indies in 1755 and was educated in New York at King's College, which is now Columbia University.
When Hamilton left the government and returned to private life, he continued to be a strong influence in politics. He was remembered as a soldier, pamphleteer, financier and administrator.
Hamilton then supported his political enemy, Thomas Jefferson, against Aaron Burr in the presidential election of 1800 because he believed that Jefferson was the better of the two men.
In 1804 Hamilton's influence again helped to defeat Burr: this time in his bid for the office of governor of New York. Burr was furious and challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton didn't believe in dueling but decided that he would have to accept the challenge to keep public respect. Hamilton, then 49 years of age, lost the duel and his life.