Of all founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton had the least promising beginning. He was born illegitimate on the Caribbean island of Nevis, orphaned at age eleven and taken out of school to support himself. Hamilton learned at an early age to take advantage of his boundless intelligence, persuasiveness and self-discipline, and like many a young immigrant of great talent but few resources, he made his way to New York City. There, he passed the New York bar exam with less than a year of legal study. Gifted with words, the precocious Hamilton was also very much a man of action. During the Revolutionary War, he distinguished himself as a military hero and as General George Washington’s most trusted advisor.

After the war, it was Hamilton, the born “outsider” who most recognized America’s potential for greatness into a single nation. He worked hard to transform America from a collection of states into a single nation with a strong central government. Hamilton was a leader in organizing the Constitutional Convention which would reform the Articles of Confederation and determine, once and for all, what the shape of the nation would be.

Hamilton’s influence at the actual Convention debate was less effective. In fact, some attendants found his strong, federalist views downright shocking. Hamilton knew he was an outsider at the Constitutional convention stating, “No man’s ideas were more remote from the plan than [mine] were known to be,” but despite his contentious viewpoints, he strongly supported the Constitution. He believed that an effective union was absolutely crucial, regardless of whether it reflected his beliefs wholeheartedly.