Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years

Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years

Even though Alexander Hamilton was among the most important Founding Fathers, less is known about his early life than that of any other major Founder. Relatively few records have been found regarding Hamiltonâ€™s birth, childhood, and origins in the West Indies. Alexander Hamilton â€œrarely . . . dwelt upon his personal historyâ€ and never recorded his lifeâ€™s story. Most of Hamiltonâ€™s correspondence prior to 1777 was lost during the American Revolution. This has resulted in many gaps in Alexander Hamiltonâ€™s biography, which has given rise to much conjecture regarding the details of his life. Relying on new research and extensive analysis of the existing literature, Michael E. Newton presents a more comprehensive and accurate account of Alexander Hamiltonâ€™s formative years.

Despite being orphaned as a young boy and having his birth be â€œthe subject of the most humiliating criticism,â€ Alexander Hamilton used his intelligence, determination, and charisma to overcome his questionable origins and desperate situation. As a mere child, Hamilton went to work for a West Indian mercantile company. Within a few short years, Hamilton was managing the firmâ€™s St. Croix operations. Gaining the attention of the islandâ€™s leading men, Hamilton was sent to mainland North America for an education, where he immediately fell in with the countryâ€™s leading patriots. After using his pen to defend the civil liberties of the Americans against British infringements, Hamilton took up arms in the defense of those rights. Earning distinction in the campaign of 1776â€“77 at the head of an artillery company, Hamilton attracted the attention of General George Washington, who made him his aide-de-camp. Alexander Hamilton was soon writing some of Washingtonâ€™s most important correspondence, advising the commander-in-chief on crucial military and political matters, carrying out urgent missions, conferring with French allies, negotiating with the British, and helping Washington manage his spy network. As Washington later attested, Hamilton had become his â€œprincipal and most confidential aid.â€ After serving the commander-in-chief for four years, Hamilton was given a field command and led the assault on Redoubt Ten at Yorktown, the critical engagement in the decisive battle of the War for Independence. By the age of just twenty-five, Alexander Hamilton had proven himself to be one of the most intelligent, brave, hard-working, and patriotic Americans.

'Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years' tells the dramatic story of how this poor immigrant emerged from obscurity and transformed himself into the most remarkable Founding Father. In riveting detail, Michael E. Newton delivers a fresh and fascinating account of Alexander Hamiltonâ€™s origins, youth, and indispensable services during the American Revolution.
Country USA
Manufacturer Eleftheria Publishing
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-07-01
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Eleftheria Publishing
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-07-01
Format	Kindle eBook

Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years

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