Who Was Alexander Hamilton? [Paperback]

Read the story of the Founding Father who inspired the smash Broadway musical.

Born in the British West Indies and orphaned as a child, Alexander Hamilton made his way to the American Colonies and studied to become a lawyer. He joined a local militia during the American Revolution, rose to the rank of Major General, and became the chief aide to General George Washington. After the war, he became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He founded the Bank of New York and The New York Post newspaper. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and is also celebrated as a co-author of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays that are still used today to interpret the U.S. Constitution.

The end of his life became a national scandal when he was shot and killed in a duel with then-Vice President Aaron Burr.Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso are authors of several books in this series, includingWho Is George Lucas?,Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?, andWho Was Susan B. Anthony?Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
 
 
On July 11, 1804, high above the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey, two men met at dawn. They were Alexander Hamilton, a Revolutionary War hero and the first secretary of the treasury, and Aaron Burr, the vice president of the United States. They had come to fight a duel.
 
In the early 1800s, dueling was common. When two gentlemen got into a fight that they couldn’t settle with words, they agreed to meet with pistols instead. In a secluded place, they faced each other. They planned to point and shoot at the same time. If they were lucky, both men would survive. The men stood on a high rock cliff facing the water. They were hidden by trees. This was a popular spot for duels.
 
A man who refused to fight a duel was seen as a coward. But dueling was illegal in New York City, where Alexander and Aaron lived. New Yorkers could be punished for dueling. That is why they hal#"