Alexander Hamilton

Hello! My name is Alexander Hamilton. I wasn't born in America like many of the other Founding Fathers. My story began on a small, sunny island in the Caribbean called Nevis, around the year 1757. I loved to read and write more than anything. When a huge hurricane hit my home in 1772, I wrote about everything I saw. The leaders of my town were so impressed with my words that they collected money to send me to America for a proper education. I was so excited for a new beginning!

I arrived in New York City and started college. But soon, something very important started happening—the American Revolution! The people in America wanted to be in charge of their own country, not be ruled by a king far across the ocean. I knew I had to help. I joined the army and soon became a special helper to the great General George Washington. I worked by his side, writing letters and helping him plan. It was a very important job, and I was proud to help fight for freedom.

After we won the war in 1783, we had to build a brand-new country from scratch! It was like building a giant house with no instructions. I helped write the Constitution, which is the set of rules for the United States government. When my friend George Washington became the first president in 1789, he gave me a very big job: I became the first Secretary of the Treasury. That's a fancy way of saying I was in charge of the country's money. I started the first national bank to make sure our new nation was strong and could pay for things. If you ever look at a ten-dollar bill, you'll see my face on it!

My life was full of big ideas and hard work, but it ended sooner than I expected after a disagreement with a man named Aaron Burr in 1804. I lived to be 47 years old. Today, I am remembered as one of America's Founding Fathers. My ideas about money and government helped shape the United States into the country it is today. And now, people even sing and dance to my story in a famous musical named after me, 'Hamilton'!