Alexander Hamilton First Secretary of the Treasury Free Essay Example, 1250 words

B. Living Area Alexander Hamilton spent his early life in the British West Indies as he was born into an illegitimate union on the remote Leeward Island of Nevis in the West Indies. This island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. Significantly, Alexander was born to the settlement of West Indies which was originally established as colonies of European countries such as England, France, and Spain. In his early life, Alexander was left with his mother, abandoned by James Hamilton, and he lived in the Island until the death of Rachael. Upon the death of Rachael, Alexander was taken care of by the family of his boyhood friend Edward Stevens. â€Å"While other founding fathers were reared in tidy New England villages or cosseted on baronial Virginia estates, Hamilton grew up in a tropical hellhole of dissipated whites and fractious slaves, all framed by a backdrop of luxuriant natural beauty. On both his maternal and paternal sides, Hamilton’s family clung to the insecure middle rung of West Indian life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chernow, 2004, p. 8). Therefore, one crucial factor about the living area of Alexander Hamilton’s early life is that he was squeezed between the plantation aristocrats above and the street rabble an d unruly slaves below in the island of West Indies. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now III. Education and Work It has already become evident that Alexander Hamilton had an unfortunate early life and was not given proper opportunities of education. Essentially, opportunities for regular schooling were extremely limited to Alexander due to the illegitimacy of his birth, although his mother managed to offer him some early education in a Hebrew school. Another resource of his early education was the library of thirty-four books which he received from his mother’s estate. Later, Alexander was able to pursue his studies at a grammar school in New Jersey and the support of his friends was crucial in this. When his request for permission to complete his studies at a quicker pace was accepted by the King’s College, New York, in 1774, his dream of higher education was fulfilled. â€Å"Though not an outstanding school, King’s offered a solid classical curriculum of Greek and Latin literature, rhetoric, geography, history, philosophy, math, and science. Hamilton at once proved him self a student of incomparable energy, racing through his studies with characteristic speed. † (Chernow, 2004, p. 52). During his studies, the Revolution in America started and he decided to take the side of the patriots while still a student.