Alexander Hamilton was born in the British West Indies in 1755. In 1773 he went to New York City where he studied at King’s College, now Columbia University. When the Revolutionary War began, Hamilton organized an artillery division and served as its captain. Hamilton eventually met George Washington, who made him his aide and promoted him to lieutenant colonel. Hamilton attended the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and signed the U.S. Constitution. He helped write the Federalist Papers, a series of essays that defended the Constitution and supported a strong federal government. In 1789 Washington appointed Hamilton to the post of secretary of the treasury. As secretary, Hamilton established the Bank of the United States, made the dollar the main U.S. currency, and persuaded Congress to assume the debts built up by the states during the revolution. He also insisted on full payment of the national debt and installed a system of national taxation. In the 1800 election Hamilton persuaded his contacts in Congress to prevent Aaron Burr’s election to the presidency. Angry over statements Hamilton made that helped ruin Burr’s chances for the presidency and for the governorship of New York in 1804, Burr demanded a public apology from Hamilton. When Hamilton refused, Burr challenged him to a duel. On July 11, 1804, the two men met by the Hudson River at Weehawken, New Jersey. Burr shot Hamilton, who died the next day.
