Alexander Hamilton: From Immigrant to Broadway Play

Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of our country has gained mass media popularity since the release of the Broadway musical Hamilton in spring of 2016. Hamilton is known for being a founder of our nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and The New York Post newspaper.

Alexander Hamilton was born on 11 January 1755 or 1757 (the exact year is unknown) in Charlestown, the capital of the island Nieves, located in the Leeward Islands. Hamilton's father, James A. Hamilton, abandoned his wife, Rachel Buck Faucette, and his two children, James Jr. (Alexander's older brother by two years), and Alexander himself. Shortly after the disappearance of his father, Alexander and his mother got influenza, which unfortunately killed Rachel. Alexander and James Jr. were sent to live with their thirty-two year-old divorced cousin, Peter Lytton, living alongside his African-American mistress, Ledja. However, this tale doesn't have a happy ending. One day, Alexander and James Jr. returned home to find their cousin in bed, soaked in his own blood. He had committed suicide. After the death of Lytton, Alexander and James Jr. went their separate ways. James Jr. decided to apprentice an aging Christiansted carpenter named Thomas McNobeny, whereas Alexander clerked for the mercantile house of Beekman and Cruger, the New York traders who had supplied his mother with provisions for her shop. Soon after receiving his job, Alexander was taken to the home of Thomas Stevens on King Street. Stevens was a well respected merchant who lived with his wife, Ann, and his five children. Of the five children, Hamilton shared a bond like no other with Edward, who was born just a year before Alexander. Both were extremely quick and clever, fluent in French, knowledgeable about classical history, disgusted with slavery, and mesmerized with medicine. Not only were their personalities similar, but so were their resemblance. Some say it was even uncanny. Most also were in disbelief when the boys told people that they were in fact, not related.

Young Hamilton

Hamilton worked closely with Aaron Burr, the second vice president of the United States (under Thomas Jefferson's rule), and Hamilton soon became the Secretary of the Treasurer, which is responsible for direct oversight over the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Fort Knox. They are also a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. In addition, the Treasurer serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary in the areas of community development and public engagement. In honor of everything he did for our country's financial system, he became the face of the ten dollar bill. Coincidentally, in the soundtrack, the song Alexander Hamilton has a lyric that says "The ten-dollar founding father without a father..."

Ten-Dollar bill

Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth 'Eliza' Schuyler, and had seven children; John, Eliza, James, William, Alexander Jr., Angelica (named after Schuyler's sister), and Phillip.

Hamilton was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, after a long, bitter history between the two men. Hamilton's  son, Philip Hamilton, was killed in a duel two years before his father's death with George Eacker, a New York lawyer and Freemason.

A portrait of Alexander Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda (writer, director, and lead) as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton

Currently, his story is being told through the form of a Broadway musical, with tickets at over $1,000 a piece. I would recommend listening to the music, if you haven't already. Alexander Hamilton's story is an inspiring one, teaching you that sometimes the greatest people rise from virtually nothing. 

Complete Hamilton Soundtrack (YouTube Playlist)

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel

               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8KQXy_mAmdfKIuWqiFHe-kFo_OKlNaaB