Alexander Hamilton began on the island of St. Croix. His father left when he was young and his mother was unable to truly provide for the family. For this reason, Hamilton started working in a commercial company at the age of 10. There was a hurricane in the Caribbean that he talked about that got him noticed and sent to school in New York in 1772 (Ripper 2008, p. 124). He served during the war with the artillery company and was soon promoted by General Washington to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1780 he married Elizabeth Schuyler, from a wealthy family. He ended up becoming a lawyer, and for years there was no stopping him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayFor 20 years, he “promoted a vision of America that united government, people, and finance into a trinity secular,” and there was such great importance to it that it eventually became the face of the $10 bill (Ripper 2008, p. 124). He believed in a greater federal union, which led him to advocate for the Constitutional Convention. Although he did not play a significant role in the convention, he joined with James Madison and John Jay in writing the best essays in support of the Constitution, which helped ensure its ratification. In addition to helping establish this, he helped build the Bank of New York and became Secretary of the Treasury. He was a great promoter of manufacturing, banking and large-scale commerce. He successfully convinced President Washington and Congress to adopt the "Bank of the United States (1791), the assumption of all state and national debts resulting from the Revolutionary War (1790), close relations with Britain and weaker relations with France, and an alcohol excise tax of 7 cents per gallon (1791), and expanded presidential powers” ​​(Ripper 2008, p. 125). The people who benefited from Hamilton's plans were mostly the middle states and New England, not the South. Hamilton's excise tax on alcohol caused people in the West to side with Jefferson in thinking that the federal government was too strong for the nation. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Eventually, the people who didn't pay taxes had to go to court, but these people started a rebellion in return. Hamilton and the governor of Virginia with a militia to stop the rebellion, and Hamilton believed that "the show of martial force was exactly what the federal government needed" (Ripper 2008, p. 127). One of the only things Jefferson and Hamilton were able to agree on was moving the capital to be permanent on the Potomac River in "exchange for adopting Hamilton's request that the government assumes the public debt” (Ripper 2008, p. 128). ). In 1795, Hamilton left Washington to return to practice law. On July 11, 1804, Hamilton participated in a duel between Aaron Burr to settle a dispute during which he was shot and ultimately died the next day. Hamilton wasn't the best at politics, but he certainly had a great influence on the finances of the newly independent nation..