Alexander Hamilton: He Was a Lawyer and Prominent Writer

Chapter 5

Alexander Hamilton: He was a lawyer and prominent writer.

After showing bravery during the Battle of Trenton, George Washington invited Hamilton to be his aide at the rank of lieutenant colonel. Due to his ability to speak French, Hamilton was the liaison between Washington and the French generals. He later was among the fifty-five delegates sent by the state governments to the convention in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787, and he was a signer of the Constitution as a representative from New York.

Hamilton was a major author of the essays in the collection known as the Federalist Papers, and he was a supporter of a strong central government. He also served as the first secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson: He was a lawyer, politician, musician, self-taught architect, naturalist and inventor. He also spoke six languages, designed his own house and founded the University of Virginia. He was born into a wealthy family in Virginia, and his father taught him it was his duty to serve in government.

He was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence and signed it as a representative from Virginia. He later was an ambassador to France, the second vice president and third president of the United States

James Madison: He was born into a wealthy landowner family. He was educated at the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) and finished the four year program in two years. He was elected to the 1776 Virginia Revolutionary convention where he drafted the state's guarantee of religious freedom. He helped Thomas Jefferson separate church and state in Virginia. His Virginia Plan furnished the basic framework and guiding principles of the Constitution.

He is referred to as the "Father of the Constitution." He was one of the authors of the essays called the Federalist Papers advocating a strong federal government, and he also was a sponsor of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. He was against slavery and worked to abolish it. He participated with Jefferson in founding of the University of Virginia, and he was Jefferson's secretary of state for eight years and later was the fourth president of the United States.

George Washington: He was born into a wealthy family in Virginia He began working as a surveyor when he was fourteen and became the official surveyor of Culpepper County. His surveying work was in his home area but also in the western wilderness where he developed a lifelong interest in the western lands. After his brother's death, he became head of the Virginia estate, Mount Vernon.

His early military experience included his local area, as well as service in the French and Indian War to help stop the French from claiming lands in the Ohio Valley. He was active in Virginia state politics and was elected to represent Virginia at the First and Second Continental Congress.

In 1775 he was unanimously chosen to command the Continental army and inspired poorly trained, poorly clothed, and poorly fed soldiers to victory. He was chosen president of the Constructional Convention (1787) and elected first president of the United States (1789). He served for two terms and set the stage for all future presidents. When he died, it was said that he was "First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Blacks and Native Americans

The section on slavery was removed because some states didn't want to sign the declaration and since these states were needed the section on slavery was removed

Slaves began arriving in the colonies in 1619 and by the end of the 1700's there were around two million slaves in the colonies. England offered a deal for freedom to those who would fight for the British. Many slaves did leave their masters to join the army. Slaves who fought against the British were later returned to their masters, but thousands who fought for the British were given their freedom. However, the freed slaves were not allowed to settle in all states.

At the end of the war, Massachusetts and New Hampshire abolished slavery. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania adopted plans for gradual emancipation or freedom of the slaves.

The issue over slavery began with the arrival of the first slaves in 1619. The Northwest Ordinance passed in 1787 initially banned slavery in the new territories, but this was changed later. In 1783 all northern states banned the importation of slaves. Slavery had become a political issue during the writing of the Declaration of Independence and would continue to be a political issue for some time to come.

Women and children

Women and children accompanied the army and did cooking, washing, nursing and helping to keep the camps clean. As many as twenty thousand went with the men to war. Both boys and girls served as messengers for the army. Boys between twelve